The Star Alliance
by RahXephon
Summary: The year is 2599 and the Hogwarts Training Fleet of Witchcraft, Wizardry and Space Travel is accepting the latest batch of magician cadets. A bewildered Harry Potter enters a world of starships, intrigue and interspecies war while exploring new worlds and meeting diverse alien races. Yet will the human race be able to maintain its monopoly on magic? Sci-fi space era AU.
1. Part I: The Draft

June 6, 2012  
Proofread on June 10, 2012  
Proofread by Utsu [1919338]  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** Hello. You might know me from my other fic, which is no longer on this site. I had to remove my previous Harry Potter Sci-Fi story _**The Star Empire**_ from this website because it quite flagrantly violated the rules on explicit content. Those wishing to read the fic can do so through the link on my profile. Anyway, this fic is my more kid-friendly attempt at a science-fiction Harry Potter fanfic. I've decided to keep it to a T-rating for now but this may change in the future when the plot is more developed and the characters grow older.

I developed this idea along with _The Star Empire_ by simply asking myself, "What would Hogwarts look like five hundred years from now? Will magic still even exist at that time?" Several different strands of ideas spilled out from my musing. A straightforward 'Hogwarts in Space' was my first potential plot idea, but I eventually discarded it because it is very troublesome to write. I opted for a more limited scope and went with the 'Harry Potter is the only wizard in the future and he basically pillages everything in his way' plot idea because it's more fun and doesn't require as much brain cells to write. Since the recent fanfic purge, I can't continue with _The Star Empire_ on this site. So I've opted to pick up the other plot idea instead.

**Pairings:** This is not a pairing-centered fanfic but there will be romances throughout the entire story. I can tell you right now that all romantic relationships depicted in this fic will be firmly heterosexual, so there will be no slash, yaoi, yuri, shounen-ai, etc.

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter and its associated terms and trademarks are authored by J.K. Rowling, the copyright holder of the novel series. I do not in any shape or form claim to have authorization to write a derivative work based on the Harry Potter franchise. This work of fiction is a non-commercial fan-based creation, and no income is earned from this writing by the author.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This fic is **NOT A CROSSOVER** between Harry Potter and another work of fiction. No prior knowledge of any fandom is required to enjoy this fic, which includes the Harry Potter novels themselves.

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_Part I: Magician Cadet_

_The Draft_

* * *

Harry Potter had never been into space. Throughout all the ten years of his life, he had never left the surface of the planet of his birth. Earth was his home, overcrowded and polluted as it was. He knew that humanity had spread out amongst the stars, colonizing world after world in a drive for riches and resources. Sometimes his dreams trailed off, and the young boy imagined himself as a noble captain keeping back the tide of invading aliens. But those were always fantasies. In the end, reality asserted itself, and Harry had to admit that he wasn't cut out for the military. As other kids abandoned their desire to become rockstars and actors, so did Harry leave behind his yearning for adventure.

Then he received the notice. Harry still remembered the day his life changed direction. It was his eleventh birthday, and he was celebrating it at home in their apartment in Surrey. Despite feeling that he was a little too old for birthday parties, his foster parents insisted he cherish the moment.

"You can never have too much love, my dear." His mother Jane told him as she ruffled his hair.

"Mom! I'm not that little kid anymore!"

"Nonsense my dear. I still remember vividly when the Child Protection Service first brought you to our home. Your uncle and aunt never should have mistreated you like that. To think they were confident that they could even get away with it, considering how we are bombarded with scans every moment of the day."

While Harry loved his foster parents to death, he still found it embarrassing that they treated him with kid gloves. He wasn't made out of china.

"I think our birthday boy has had enough hugs now, Jane." His father, Troy, said as he brought the birthday cake over from the refrigeration unit. "Come help me slice the cake instead honey."

The young boy sighed in relief and tried to straighten his hair. He hated it when people fussed with his hair. He'd been through two different scalp treatments but his hair still looked like a crow's nest.

A weight crashed against his back. Harry staggered and almost fell as a certain girl squealed, climbing onto his back.

"Alexia! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

His younger sister giggled as she held onto his body. "Carry me!"

"How about no."

"Spoilsport."

Eventually they drifted into the living room and celebrated his birthday in earnest. Despite his protests, Harry genuinely enjoyed his parents' efforts. From the moment he arrived at their household, they'd done their best to make him forget about his childhood years at his former household. They'd succeeded, too, as Harry barely retained anything but fragments of his time with the Dursleys.

The time to unwrap his presents came next. His little sister went first. The nine year old presented a fluffy gift-wrapped object to him. Harry eagerly accepted it and tore the wrapping paper apart. It was a ring bearing synthetic crystal jewels along its band and an engraving on its inner side. He read the inscription and smiled even wider.

"Thank you Alexia." He said, and received a warm smile from his little sister.

His parents offered his second present together. "Since you will be starting the second phase of schooling next September, we decided to pool our allowances and present you with something that will help you build your future."

They presented him with a small, hand-sized box. The birthday boy took it and looked at it curiously. The black synthetic material felt sturdy, but plain. He turned the box around and tried to find the opening, but couldn't. "How do you open it?"

"You don't." Troy answered, and held out his hand to direct Harry's finger towards the middle of the box. "Instead, you press here."

As soon as his fingertips touched the surface, a red symbol lit up. A tone sounded out, and Harry pulled away when the box started to emit a screen.

+BIOMETRIC MATERIAL SCANNED. PARAGON V15.6 BOOTING UP. PLEASE HOLD. PLEASE HOLD. PLEASE HOLD+

"What's happening?" Harry asked, a bit apprehensive with all of the diagnostics flickering over the screen. He had never encountered anything as advanced as this before.

"Have some patience, son. You'll see."

+BOOT PROCESS COMPLETED. Welcome to the Paragon experience, a companion for life. Please vocalize your next command. VALID COMMANDS: SETUP, HELP and QUIT+

"You didn't!" Harry exclaimed with delight as he finally figured out the true nature of his gift. "An AI companion!"

"We wanted you to have the best future possible. While we can't pay for you to go to the best schools, we can at least provide you with a premium artificial intelligence to assist you with your learning. Use it well."

"I will dad." Harry said, and hugged both of his parents. He then spent a quarter of an hour setting up his new AI. He configured the settings to his liking and chose an animal avatar. While he spent a few minutes considering different types of wicked animals, he reminded himself that aggressive avatars had a tendency to get out of hand. He then considered more placid animals.

Why he settled on an owl of all animals he wasn't sure. But his mother approved. "Owls are animals of wisdom. She will serve you well in your growing years."

"She?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Of course it's going to be a girl. I can't have you planning mischief at your new school with a male companion."

He grumbled at her words and promptly set the gender of his owl. "No mother."

As the birthday party wound down, the doorbell rang. "Oh?" Jane said as she looked up. "We weren't expecting any guests."

Harry paid little attention as his mother went for the door. He was still enamoured with his new AI companion. Alexia pestered him to transfer control access to her, but he held on, not wanting his mischievous sister to hijack his pet at the most inopportune of moments. He hadn't even noticed the new arrival by the time Jane walked back into the living room.

"Harry?" She called to him, her face pale with shock. "This gentleman has something important to tell you."

He looked up and instantly felt all his playfulness drain away. The newcomer was a military officer. His straight, black-and-gold uniform stood in stark contrast to the casual clothes of his family. His entire bearing spoke of business. This was not a man to mess around with.

More than a little wary, Harry put his AI into standby mode and approached the officer. He mustered as much formality as he could. "Is there something I need to hear, sir?"

"In accordance with the Magician Draft Act, I hereby declare you as a magical potential and recruit you into Her Imperial Majesty's Space Navy. You are henceforth designated as a cadet in accordance with the aforementioned Act and are instructed to enter the nearest military base for preliminary orientation and basic space-board training."

Most of the big words glossed right over his mind, but he understood just enough to know what was happening. "I'm a magical potential? How...?"

"The evidence is overwhelming." The officer stated, and activated his emitter. A timeline of unusual events streamed past. His unusually quick recovery from malnutrition. That time when his hair grew back to its usual length after he crudely cut it short. The day when some bullies from his school somehow cornered him, only to appear on the roof of the classroom a moment later.

That wasn't all. The military kept detailed scans of his inner workings. Harry exhibited all of the typical signs of a magical potential, from having a very peculiar brain wave activity to a heightened metabolism. They'd even placed unshielded electronics in his presence, which had promptly fried from the continuous magical energy that leaked from of his body. Every single indicator pointed him as a manipulator of the mysterious force of magic.

"But... but this can't be true. I'm nobody special. I _can't_ have magic, I just can't!"

"The evidence is overwhelming." The officer simply repeated, and his no-nonsense tone brokered no negotiation. With a heavy heart Harry came to terms with the news. The visitor didn't stick around for long, only leaving some brochures and instructions behind before leaving to tell another family of their children's special talent.

* * *

He spent the next summer undergoing a crash course on living in space. Since he was one of the few kids who had never experienced space travel before, he had to take the more intensive course during which he had to memorize all kinds of emergency sequences. He needed to learn how to react in the event of decompression, fire, hostile boarding and many other situations. The drill instructors constantly pushed him along with the other kids who were going up to space in simulated trials until he could get to an escape pod in his sleep.

Harry was glad that he could finally sleep regularly, now that he had finished his certification in basic starship safety. He had one more moment together with his adopted family in which he said his goodbyes to each of them before boarding the shuttle that would take him up one of Earth's civilian space stations.

"Please sit up straight in your seats and wait for the straps to automatically bind you down. Do not be alarmed when this occurs."

When something slick snaked across his body he got frightened anyway. It felt as if a mass of snakes had decided on his body as their new breeding ground.

"The bindings are perfectly safe, Harry." A wistful female voice said.

The cadet glared at his AI companion, who sat on the tip of the seat in front of him. "You don't have a body. Don't tell me what to feel."

Hedwig let out a sigh and turned her head away. "I'm only repeating what you learned in orientation. You haven't forgotten all of it already, have you?"

A small chuckle erupted from the seat besides Harry. "That is a beautiful companion you have there. Not too large, not too small, and with the capability for flight as well. I commend you, magician cadet."

The boy turned to face the new speaker. The man had a solid face and a short tuft of black hair. He appeared to be forty if he hadn't access to age replenishers, which meant that he was probably up in the eighties in these days. _'Great, an old fart is talking to me.'_

"You know who I am?"

"Of course. Your uniform is quite distinctive." The man gestured to his ensemble of neutral coloured synthetic fabrics. The suit was part military, part academic, and part protective. The basic form resembled most of the military uniforms of earlier times. But hidden deep within its seemingly simple surface were millions of nanobots which could do a variety of things, such as encasing the wearer in a cocoon of vacuum or hardening its surface to withstand a pressure blast. The soles of his boots were able to magnetize onto any metal surface, and his collar would envelop his entire face and supply him with an hour's worth of oxygen in the event of decompression.

"The uniforms of magician spacers are always slimmer than the mundane equivalent. It feeds on the source of your psychic powers to accomplish feats beyond the capabilities of technology. I've seen many magicians survive impossible situations. I served in Her Majesty's Imperial Navy in my youth, you see."

If Harry could groan, he would have. Not only was he talking to a geezer, he was talking to a war veteran.

"You know, we mundanes always thought you magicians were a little odd." The man rambled on, not even bothering to give his name. "Your talents saved us from extinction and allowed us to traverse the stars for the first time in human history. But some of us still feel that through human ingenuity we would have eventually come up with a viable Faster-Than-Light drive ourselves, if we hadn't had magic as a crutch."

"What is your opinion on that, sir?"

The veteran let out a short laugh. "We could have never beaten back the Kichilic by ourselves. Our entire solar system would have been wiped out long before some mad scientist invented a means to catch up with the nasty buggers. Besides, without magic, I wouldn't be able to look this young at my age."

Somehow, the two fell into conversation even as his shuttle launched into air. The localized gravity and state-of-the-art inertial dampeners made the journey feel no different than standing still. In fact, Harry didn't even realise that they'd almost reached their destination until the geezer pointed it out.

"You might want to take a look out of the viewscreen, young Harry."

"Huh?" Harry turned to the window expecting to see the blue sky of Britain, only to gasp as he was met with an expanse of black and more stars than he had ever seen in his life. Never in his life had he thought that space was so... full. Away from all of the light pollution, he saw space in a different light. No longer was the black expanse a void or an endless barrier, instead he could just reach out with his fingers and touch the millions of stars that dotted the sky. He focused on a blinking one close to the centre. How far would he have to travel in order to reach that star system?

Then he caught sight of the space station that his shuttle was about to dock at. The gigantic structure served as a waystation for travellers heading in and out of Earth. Most passengers took a flight to the solar system's other colonies such as Mars or Venus, but a handful of people travelled much further than the confines of the solar system. Harry was one of those lucky few.

"I'll see you around, kid. Good luck with your training." The veteran said as he left for his own destination. Harry left the shuttle and went through the mandatory security check-ups before having free reign of the space dock.

'_Now where do I have to go?'_

His companion appeared on his shoulder and pecked him on the cheek. Not that he actually felt the hologram's beak, but it was the thought that counted. "Intersystem space departures is located in section 4B. Just follow the green line on the floor and it will take you there."

"Thanks, Hedwig."

The boy kept his eyes open wide as he walked through the space dock. While he didn't have access to the interior of the space station, what he saw was almost enough to blow his mind. Hundreds of vessels docked just outside the space station, from atmospheric entry shuttles to huge liners the size of skyscrapers. Harry marvelled at how traffic control was able to direct all of the continuous traffic coming in and out. Somewhere in the distance of the transparent viewscreens he could just about catch a glimpse of the menacing patrol ships keeping order.

Eventually Harry reached intersystem departures. Hedwig helpfully guided him towards the security checkpoint that led to the small liner that departed towards the system where his new fleet was docked in. A bored-looking guard glanced at his uniform before scanning him briefly, automatically calling up Harry's digital passport and other wireless data.

"You're clear, cadet. Move up to gate 33. It's near the end over there."

He walked swiftly towards the indicated location and spent a moment scrutinizing the small liner docked at the gate. _'I thought it would be bigger.'_ The liner looked sleek and narrow, quite unlike the giant boxes that transported thousands to other destinations in the Human Empire. As he went through yet another security check – this time more thoroughly in order to confirm that he wasn't carrying any bombs or diseases of any sort – he finally entered the shuttle, and realized why it was so small.

The entire liner was dedicated to transporting magician cadets. Most of them looked older and wore varying amounts of pins and other distinguishing marks on their uniforms. Their suits were also coloured in four variations, from a rich shade of red, to a warm hue of yellow, to a sharp tinge of blue and a noticeably smaller portion of them wore venomous green. Fortunately, his assigned seat was positioned next to another grey unmarked recruit who enjoyed the window seat.

"Hi. I'm Harry Potter." He greeted the blond. When the other boy didn't respond Harry repeated his greeting.

The blond finally deigned to turn around. He swept over Harry with a quick, cool glance and huffed in disgust. "You must be a freshblood. _Don't_ talk to me, worm."

Harry felt a bit unnerved when the blond turned back to gazing out the viewscreen. _'What did he mean? What is a freshblood and why does that make me a worm?'_ He subvocalized the query to his AI companion. Hedwig appeared in front of him, though this time in privacy mode so his neighbour and anyone else wouldn't see or hear the digital owl.

"I've scanned the Galactic Net for the term and it shows up in quite a lot of discussions, Harry."

"Well? Out with it. Tell me what it means."

"The term is mostly meant as a derogatory insult referring to magicians whose parents or ancestors have not served in Her Imperial Majesty's Fleet in the capacity as magicians. The so-called oldbloods pride themselves on their century-long tenures in their service to the Red Empress."

"Why the hell does it matter how far back your parents go?"

His owl paused for a brief moment as she accessed other records. "Dominant theories suggest that it is a continuation of discrimination practiced before the Mundane-Magician Assimilation. Archaic magicians divided themselves into purebloods and muggleborn, or mudbloods as magicians with a mundane heritage are called. This divide has been the cause of several devastating and shall I say idiotic wars between the factors. Since the MMA, the Red Empress put a stop to this madness by forcibly applying anti-discrimination legislation on their sub-society."

"I see." Harry murmured aloud, though his blond neighbour didn't deign to notice. "I think. So it's just the same thing with different words?"

"Not quite, but opinion differs wildly. The mundane half of the Imperial Space Navy always prided the offspring of retired spacers for their versatility in living in space, and the ancient purebloods latched on to it and subverted the concept to suit their own needs. Instead of discriminating on race or ancestry, which is officially forbidden, the newly rechristened oldbloods instead reframed the distinction towards length of service."

"So... basically it's the same thing."

Hedwig let out an affirmative hoot. "The only difference this time is that it's legal. The Red Empress hasn't been able to step in and squash this development."

Harry groaned. "So basically I'll be dealing with a bunch of stiffs like blondie over there for the rest of my tour on the training fleet."

If blondie felt insulted by Harry's careless words, he didn't react at all and continued to pretend that the _freshblood_ didn't exist. By now Harry didn't care at all for blondie's stuck up attitude.

A few silent minutes passed. Harry contented himself by playing a minigame with his owl. His AI didn't come with a lot of inbuilt software, but he had downloaded thousands of games and other widgets into the box so that he would never lack for anything.

Then the empty seat to the left of him shifted. The wild-haired boy paused his progress and turned to see who just sat next to him. _'I hope it's not another frigid oldblood.'_

Instead he encountered a bundle of bushy hair even wilder than his own that so happened to be attached to a cherubic face. _'I-It's a girl!'_

The girl smiled shyly and said, "Hello."

"Hi. I'm Harry." He stammered out as he tried to get used to the girl. _'By the Empress her hair looks more dense than a rainforest.'_

"Hermione." The girl gestured to his uniform. "So you're a recruit as well? I was so excited when I was drafted!" She gushed, seemingly continuing on without pause with her babble. "I mean, can you believe it that we actually have the ability to manipulate magic? This is so exciting!"

Harry had forgotten about blondie, who suddenly huffed yet again while muttering "Freshblood."

"Excuse me?" The girl queried, having caught only a portion of blondie's mutters.

"Oh don't mind blondie over there. He just looks down on us 'freshbloods' because our parents weren't magicians or something."

"…O-kay."

They fell into a brief conversation as the final passengers arrived to take their seats. It turned out that Hermione's parents were oral hygiene experts and instilled their daughter with a good respect for science. Some of the words that tumbled out of her mouth were practically alien to Harry, and if it wasn't for the aid of Hedwig he probably wouldn't have understood any of it at all. _'This girl is way too brainy.'_

"I'm just so excited that I can see the other side of the coin, as it were. Science is all well and good, but mundanes haven't been able to break new ground since the MMA. Every field is pretty much settled except for all of the minor details. But magic on the other hand is so open, so mysterious. Don't you ever wonder how it actually works?"

"I have a few times." But he didn't have as much curiosity as his new friend about the unknown. He'd rather stick to cartoons than boring lectures on metaphysics. "But it's not really my thing, you know? I never really imagined that I would have the talent."

"You're in for a whole new world then, just like me. Say, have you thought of which ship you want to serve on?"

"Er... what?"

"Don't tell me you haven't thought about it yet. I've read all about the four ships of the training fleet." Hermione's eyes went dreamy. "I want to serve on the _Godric Gryffindor_ myself. The greatest heroes in magician history come from their house. Did you know that Merlin the Younger was a Gryffindor, back when Hogwarts was a decrepit castle instead of a space fleet?"

"I haven't read much on Hogwarts, sorry."

"Well you'd better make up your mind fast, your preference counts for a third on which ship you will eventually be assigned on. Your ship assignment determines your courses and can drastically affect the roles you will adopt when you graduate."

Before Hermione could expand on the four ships, a tone chimed overhead, and Harry suddenly found himself strapped into his seat. Shortly after, a holo-display lit up, showing the cockpit of the liner.

"This is the cap'n speakin'. Welcome laddies to the Hogwarts Express!" A giant of a man with a beard almost as bushy as Hermione's hair. The griffon emblem on his chest designated him as a Gryffindor alumnus. "My name is Hagrid, and I have the distinct pleasure in taking you to our fine fleet. Most of the older students already know me as the Professor of Magical Animal-based Lifeforms, and all you first years out in the back will surely see me again in class. But that's later. Right now you're in for a ride. Is there anyone here who hasn't travelled intersystem before?"

Harry raised his hand, and so did Hermione and plenty of other cadets. Blondie's mouth curled into a sneer as he saw how many noobs hadn't even left their home star system.

"I see that there are well over a dozen first-timers. Well, you're in for a treat." Hagrid chuckled a little and flipped a handful of switches and settings before turning back to the camera. "Who here knows how ship-wide apparition works? Ah ah, hold your hippogriffs, first years only please."

"Me me me!" Hermione pleaded as she raised her entire hand towards the roof. She was the only recruit who even volunteered.

"Young miss over there, are you willing to try?"

The girl stood up, drawing the attention of every passenger. Her face suddenly bloomed as bright as a tomato once she realized how much attention she had drawn.

"Go on sweetie, nothing's going to harm you."

"Well Captain Hagrid, I've read that mature magicians have the ability to teleport themselves instantly to another location via wormhole travel, which is the mundane term for apparition I suppose. They have also been able to take others along in their travels through side-along apparition. Ship-wide apparition is therefore simply side-along apparition extended throughout the entire spaceship. This allows the human race to travel faster-than-light across incredible distances."

"Correct young miss! While the process is a lot more complicated in practice, your explanation is on the mark! Ship-wide apparition is one of our most important means of travelling from star to star. Merlin the Younger brilliantly came up with this new mode of travel when the Kichilic bombardment fleet threatened to wipe out all mundane and magical life on Earth back in the day. I'm sure you'll hear plenty more about the old stories from my colleagues, so I'll cut this short and begin with the transition. Hold on tight lads, for this won't be a pleasant experience."

All of the older students braced themselves in a peculiar manner by crossing their elbows against their chests. Blondie along with a few other grey suits followed likewise, leaving Harry, Hermione and a host of other ignorant children in the dust.

"Wha—"

A second later, Harry, Hermione and a host of other ignorant children emptied their lunch into the bags which magically appeared in front of their mouths.

'_What the hell happened? They never told me this would happen in orientation!'_ The boy mentally screamed as he wiped his mouth with the wet towel that lowered from the cabin's ceiling. _'I just felt like my entire stomach went through the ringer.'_

The holo-display turned back on to reveal an amused captain. "Ship-wide apparition always has that effect on you first-timers. Don't take it too hard, everyone vomits during their first journeys! We'll be doing many such apparitions during your tour at the training fleet so it's important for you first years to get used to the sensation. A cap'n won't take to you too kindly if you cover your instruments with your dinner during the middle of a battle."

Thankfully Hagrid cut the feed, leaving the students to recover without his constant chatter.

"Ugh… I feel like I've swallowed a gallon of washing detergent." Hermione mumbled as she went to check whether any of her expulsions landed on her prodigious hair.

Blondie let out a short sniffle. Harry glared at the snotty brat. _'__H__e could have at least warned us.'_

According to the system map displayed in the corner, the liner was approaching the stationary training fleet with its sublight drive. Harry noted that the icons of the four ships were oddly positioned. They were sailing awfully close to each other for reasons he was not sure of. In orientation he learned that starships out in space should keep a comfortable distance away from one another – at least more than thirty kilometres when stationary and a hundred kilometres when on the move. According to the plot, the training fleet vessels were less than three hundred meters apart! One wrong move could send a ship veering into the side of another, causing a disastrous collision that would surely mean the end of both. What was the admiral thinking?

Harry hoped he would be able to catch an image of the fleet in space, but the displays stubbornly refused to change their views. Before long, the liner docked against one of the four ships, and soon all of the students started to stream out. Blondie escaped Harry's presence as soon as he was able to and joined a clique of peculiar looking first years which kept themselves firmly away from the others. The boy simply shrugged at the sight and allowed Hermione to keep him company on the way across the corridor leading them into the arrival compartment.

Warm yellow tones greeted him everywhere, along with banners depicting a badger of all things. The students milled about aimlessly for a moment before a heavyset woman wearing a thick variant of the standard magician uniform appeared from the main exit. A handful of other students followed in her wake and lined themselves up into several distinct groupings.

"Welcome magician cadets to another year at Hogwarts. I hope that you will enjoy or continue to enjoy your tour at our fine training fleet. For the first years amongst you, I am Professor Pomona Sprout and I will be teaching Magical Plant-based Lifeforms depending on your assigned ship and class choices. I am sure that Captain Hagrid has told you all you need to know already, so I won't be talking for long. Second years and up, you all know the way. I can trust you can reach the Great Hall by yourselves? Mentors, please stay behind."

As most of the older students melted away and disappeared through the exit, the professor gazed at each of the first years with a critical eye. "As for you newcomers, I hope you will find your new life in the fleet to your liking. Some of you may have already intended to serve on the fleet, but I know that a handful of you only learned of your new fate mere months ago. I cannot express how much sorrow I have for you, but the Empress' will is absolute. Magic is too valuable to waste, and every magician is a strategic resource. I hope that each and every one of you will come to learn that magic can be a blessing, and despite the harshness of shipboard life, you can achieve a life of happiness and fulfilment. You might not think much on my words right now, but you _will_ struggle through it once you gain more wisdom."

In truth, the whole speech went right over Harry's head. He'd barely had a month to acclimatize to his new life and he was yet to see enough to form an opinion. Sure, the basic orientation and training had been intense, but he'd envisaged life in the training fleet as more relaxed.

"In any case," The professor continued. "Before you all get sorted, you will be assigned into groups led by an older year volunteer. Your mentor will guide you through your first year and is available for any questions or problems that you might have. In addition, your mentor group will also participate in mandatory group activities for the entire remainder of your seven-year tour on the training fleet regardless of where you will eventually be sorted. Past experience has showed that too much isolation within a single House breeds conflict well after graduation, so the mundanes have imposed many reforms in order to rectify these situations."

"You mean tear down tried and true traditions." Blondie grumbled somewhere else in the crowd.

"I heard that Cadet Malfoy!" Sprout admonished blondie. "You may keep your opinions to yourself. The modernization drive is the direct effort of the Empress herself. If you wish to protest these changes, you can take it up with Her Imperial Majesty."

That shut blondie—Malfoy— up good, Harry noted. _'I finally get to stick a name on that arrogant prat.'_

"Let us get on with the mentor groups, shall we?" The professor then retrieved a strange implement. Harry thought it looked like a wooden stick, but it seemed to be covered with synthetic strips of some sort and he recognized an electronic module at the bottom of the pommel. Sprout waved her wand in rather eccentric motions.

When she finished her display, every student suddenly had a floating number atop their heads. Harry looked atop his head to see a floating 7. He probed the figure with his hands, finding out that it was just a hologram.

"Now young cadets, your assigned number refers to the number of your group. Can everyone now please gather around your mentors?"

Harry turned to Hermione and noticed with more than a little relief that she also had a 7 floating above her head. He didn't want to lose his first friend this soon. "Looks like we got lucky."

"Do you really think so?" Hermione responded sceptically as she led him to the front where the mentors stood in a line. "The highest number that I've seen is twelve. The odds that we would end up in the same group are less than nine percent if the numbers were assigned randomly."

"You think it's rigged somehow?"

"Not exactly..." She trailed off as she started to push against the thick crowd. "It just seems so unlikely. Perhaps there is a bias in the program, taking into account our existing profile and prior history."

Hermione then bumped into a solid back. "Mph! Sorry!"

The boy, who had a seven floating atop his head, turned around. The familiar sneer on his face told Harry just exactly who he had been grouped up with. _'Whoever rigged these group assignments can dive in a black hole.'_

"Just my luck that I get paired up with freshbloods."

Four others slowly streamed in. It appeared that apart from Harry and Hermione, the rest had some prior experience with magicians. Malfoy of course let his relief about that fact known, even though his abrasive comments didn't exactly go over well with everyone.

"Now if we can just petition to the doddering admiral in charge that there's a mistake in the algorithm we can boot those two freshbloods from our group."

"Oh shut up Malfoy. There will be no nonsense about blood discrimination in our group whatever form it may take." An older voice intervened. Their new mentor approached the three and greeted them warmly. His striking yellow uniform and chiselled face made quite an impression.

"I'm Cedric Diggory and I'll be pulling you through in your first year on the fleet. Can you all please introduce yourselves?"

"I'm Harry Potter." He went first, getting it out of the way as quickly as possible.

"Hermione. Er, Hermione Granger, sir." The girl stammered as she glazed at their mentor's face.

Blondie only drawled, "Draco Malfoy."

"N-Neville Longbottom."

"Susan Bones."

"Padma Patil."

Cedric consulted a digital list and confirmed all of their identities. "It appears everything is in order. If you will follow me, I'll lead you to the Great Hall."

They traversed straight to the other side of the great ship that Harry learned was the _Helga Hufflepuff_. He kept his eyes sharp as he passed lab rooms, greenhouses and many other wondrous sights. Cedric answered a few questions by the first year students but otherwise kept a brisk pace.

After quite a few minutes of walking they reached the other side of the immense vessel. _'How large is this ship?'_ Harry wondered, but then abruptly stopped as Cedric appeared to walk straight out of an open airlock into open space.

"What the!" He exclaimed, wondering why he along with everyone else in the compartment hadn't been sucked away yet.

Then Cedric's head popped back from the empty expanse. "Oh, I forgot. I have to attune you to Hogwarts. The castle won't show itself to outsiders." He then pulled out a stick similar to Professor Sprout's and tapped each of the first years on the head. "There, you should be able to step through. If I hadn't done that, you would have ended up right into outer space. That actually happens quite a number of times every year."

Hermione and Harry looked positively horrified at the news.

"Don't worry cadets, your uniforms act as an emergency vacuum suit in the event of a decompression or the like. You have two hours of air, plenty of time for the emergency services to retrieve you. Haven't you learned this in basic training?"

The two freshbloods had both embarrassingly forgotten about that. "Don't mind it, everyone makes beginners mistakes. Now let us proceed. Hogwarts awaits."

The oldblood first years walked through the open hole in space as if it were an everyday occurrence to them. As soon as they stepped through they disappeared from sight. _'What if they got vaporized or something?'_

After gathering the courage to step forward, Harry went through the gap and found his vision changing before his very eyes. Hermione followed right after and gasped at the impressive sight. Instead of an empty space between the four ships of the training fleet, a floating castle along with an idyllic landscape appeared in a hazy shape, as if it was only half in existence. Cedric and the rest of the students appeared solid, and walked across the pavement with not a single worry that they might fall through and end up in the middle of nowhere.

"H-How?" The girl besides him stammered, her brain frozen from the impossible sight of a medieval castle – it wasn't even vacuum-sealed! – in open space.

"Magic." Harry replied dumbly, having no better answer to offer to his friend. He could already tell that this was going to be an interesting year.

* * *

**End Notes:** As you can read, this is a story separate from _The Star Empire_, making use of a different history and technological base. This story is meant to stand on itself, and is a more serious effort than the aforementioned fic, which was simply my attempt at playing around. I will be applying some of the themes that I planned in my previous story for this fic, though obviously in a different perspective. My goal is to offer the Harry Potter fandom a credible science-fiction work that is hopefully not too inaccessible to casual readers. However, I won't be simply transplanting the original Harry Potter storyline in a sci-fi dress. Instead, I'll be telling a new tale, and that necessarily involves changing many things. You have probably already noticed that Harry Potter's history is different. He's not the boy-who-lived and will never be. All that stuff about Horcruxes and prophecies is firmly kept absent in this fic.

I know I've already talked a lot about a fic that isn't on FanFiction Dot Net anymore, but to my loyal fans of _The Star Empire_, this fic is not meant to be a replacement. I am touched by your words of support via PMs, and I understand that you have built up a considerable emotional connection to my vivid vision. But this new fic has a different goal, storyline and target segment. Despite the similar title (I was too lazy to come up with a more imaginative title), _The Star Alliance_ will be radically different in subjects, style and tone. You won't encounter much of the antics I've displayed in my old fic here, so you won't get to read about Harry doing stuff that even Hitler will wince at. This fic is going to be safely in T-rated territory so that means no naughty stuff.

THIS FIC IS **NOT A CROSSOVER** OF ANY ESTABLISHED UNIVERSE! THE SETTING DEPICTED IN THIS FIC IS COMPLETELY ORIGINAL AND IS INVENTED BY MYSELF!


	2. I: The Sorting

June 12, 2012  
Proofread on June 12, 2012  
Proofread by Utsu [1919338]  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** I've done something I thought I would never do again. I brought in a beta reader to proofread this story. Now you might think that I went through all that trouble in order to make this fic succeed. However, the immediate reason why I broke my long-standing custom of working solo was because I was getting tired of all the reviews mentioning my bad grammar. Rather than comment on my plotline or characterization, they say things like 'a three year old has better grammar' or waste a lot of time nit-picking certain sentences apart. After a difficult search with lots of foul-ups and fumbles, I finally did it, though the difficulty involved in the process reminded me why I veered away from betas for so long. I can be… difficult to work with. In any case, now that I have my own pet grammar Nazi watching over my shoulder like most other authors, I hope you guys will stop commenting on my language. Do note that by using a beta reader I won't be able to publish chapters as fast as I used to. My pet is very thorough in her work but she also needs time to sort out my atrocious writing. Please have patience.

**Proofreader's Notes:** Hi guys, I'm Utsu, RahXephon's so called "pet grammar Nazi" ;) I'm British born and bred and I've been brought in to make sure that your lovely reviews can actually concentrate on the important stuff; namely the plotline, rather than the less important issue of language. I'm only a humble beta-reader though and all credit for the story of course goes to RahXephon but I hope you enjoy it anyway ^^

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_The Sorting_

* * *

Walking into the half-transparent courtyard of the ancient castle was one of Harry's scariest experiences. He had absolutely no idea how he'd managed to keep breathing in the middle of a vacuum. When he craned his head upwards he couldn't spot any barriers keeping the air inside the terrestrial bubble. _'It's just magic. It's just magic.'_ He repeated inside his head.

"You're starting to hyperventilate, Harry." Hedwig told him, appearing in front of him in flight. "Don't regard this experience from a mundane perspective. You are being educated as a magical, remember? Situations in which reality is bent or broken should be everyday occurrences. Just stop worrying."

Harry let his companion's words sink in. _'She's right. I'm overthinking this. The Hogwarts Fleet has been operating for over three centuries. The professors know what they're doing.'_

"Is that your AI companion?"

"Yeah. Hermione, this is Hedwig. Hedwig, this is Hermione."

"Charmed." His owl greeted his latest friend.

"It's nice to meet you too. What model are you?"

"A Paragon V15.6."

"Hey I've got a Paragon too! Since we are going to be working together more often I should introduce you to my own companion." The girl pulled back one of her sleeves and fiddled with something her wrist control unit. An exceedingly fluffy, grumpy-faced cat appeared in her arms. "Crookshanks, go and introduce yourself."

"As the lady said, I'm Crookshanks." A grumpy male voice grumbled from the holographic form of the cat. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to continue napping."

Crookshank's image blinked out. Hermione smiled sheepishly at her companion's antics. "He's not too trusting of new people. Give him a few days and I'm sure he'll warm up to you."

"If you say so."

By that time the group had reached the huge open entrance of the castle. As soon as Harry stepped inside, he felt infinitely more comfortable; the odd translucency that had been present outside no longer an issue now that he had a roof over his head. He could actually pretend that he was inside a solid compartment again, even if his surroundings had taken on the appearance of an old castle. At least the interior projected a warm mood. Warm wooden panelling along with strange animated portraits (_they must be digital programs_, Harry mused) gave the floating structure an odd sense of tradition and familiarity. The cadet took a deep breath through his nose and practically smelled the richness. _'Is this real, or is this all a magical illusion?'_

The stream of students slowly made their way down the main hallway and into a large and open space that must have been the Great Hall. Four long, modern crystal tables stretched from one end of the hall to the other. Opposite the main entrance was a raised section where a fifth table rested, with what he could only presume was the entire staff in attendance.

"Look Harry." Hermione nudged him with her shoulder. "Look up. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History, Part II."

The young cadet looked up and was met with the sight of an enchanting hologram of the universe in motion. A multitude of astronomic phenomena was displayed on the marvellous ceiling, from the Big Bang to the great expansion, to the death of stars and the formation of black holes. The sheer beauty depicted in the image literally took his breath away. "It's beautiful."

It felt strange to feel comforted by the sight of cosmic events when he had nearly been frightened out of his uniform scant minutes earlier. Harry didn't dwell on it for long though, and walked towards the clump of grey-uniformed first years milling about near the foot of the tables. All the way up at the front, an old and wizened looking man with a grey beard almost as frazzled as Hagrid's rose from his seat. He unclasped the dark cloak around his shoulders to reveal a robe of starry night blue.

"Now that the last batch of students has arrived from the _Helga Hufflepuff_, we may begin with the opening of this academic year."

Harry could barely hear the old man over the din of conversation flowing around the tables.

"Settle down, students, settle down. I'm sure you are all eager to catch up with your friends," He then clapped his hands and suddenly everyone found their voices muffled. "But first we must welcome our first year students."

Everyone turned their attention to the speaker, even the older students. The elderly man smiled and spread out his arms. "I am Grand Admiral Albus Dumbledore, Supreme Commander of Her Imperial Majesty's Magicians. As headmaster of the Hogwarts Training Fleet of Witchcraft, Wizardry and Space Travel, I wish to bid our new recruits a warm greeting. As magician cadets, you will not only be educated in the art of magic and space travel, but also explore exotic new worlds and discover strange new organisms as our fleet traverses the unknown parts of the Orion arm of the galaxy. No matter what your ultimate vocation may be, my sincere hope is that you will come away from this tour with an open-minded perspective on the universe."

Then the headmaster's face turned grim. The whole hall seemed to dim as Dumbledore's tone turned remorseful. "But despite its many wonders, the universe is not a forgiving dimension. Last year seventeen brave magician cadets honourably sacrificed their lives on the _Godric Gryffindor_ in a valiant effort to defend the Hogwarts Fleet from a surprise assault by the Kichilics. It is with great sadness that I ask you to remember that not all of the races we encounter bear a friendly face towards humanity, and that we ultimately serve Her Imperial Majesty in a military capacity. It is expected from every student to serve his or her tour to the fullest and to defend the Human Empire from enemies both without and within. Do not even _think_ to abandon your service, for desertion will not only merit you a summary execution, but will also result in the immediate termination of the lives of your immediate family."

The faces of Alexia and his parents flashed through Harry's mind. Some of the more unpleasant consequences of his draft began to dawn on him. If he ever decided to desert… _'No. I can't let that happen. I have to keep my sister safe, whatever the cost.'_

"Ah, but let us not dwell on such unpleasant matters. This is a night of celebration. Let us begin with the Sorting!"

A side door opened and a pair of heavily armed guards in full exoskeleton suits entered escorting a floating crate. Their kinetic rifles looked deadly enough to pierce through dozens of bodies and their footsteps were heavy enough for even Harry to feel the vibrations from the floor. Eventually the guards stopped in the middle of the room and entered some sort of key code on the crate. As they finished unlocking it, the crate automatically unfolded itself into a stool, revealing an animate brown hat. At first sight, Harry thought it was simply excitable. Then he noticed the metal bands tied around its surface, and guessed that it was struggling to escape. _'Strange. Why would the school do that to a hat?'_

"Do you know anything about why the hat is bound up like that?" He asked Hermione softly.

"I've read in Hogwarts, A History, Part II that the hat spoke out against Merlin the Younger's attempts to subordinate the ancient Wizarding World to the mundanes. The First Empress of the Human Empire charged the hat with sedition and sentenced it with a millennia-long censure. I've read that it used to be tradition for the hat to sing during the opening ceremony but obviously our rulers don't like what it has to say."

"Rather strange that the Empress was scared of a stupid hat. What harm can it do?"

"Since the hat determined which House the students were assigned to, its word was very much respected."

Dumbledore clapped and called everyone's attention again. "Before we begin the Sorting, let me explain the process. As you may or may not know, the Hogwarts Training Fleet consists of four main vessels that serve to train cadets in every capacity magicians are able to fulfil."

He then withdrew his own wand – an unusually long and slender thing that was practically covered in electronics – and called up a giant holographic display of the fleet in real time as it floated within the Diagon system. He highlighted one ship in particular.

"The _Godric Gryffindor_ is a unique battleship specifically designed to take full advantage of the abundance of magicians aboard the vessel. She boasts an impressive armament of four triple-barrelled sixteen-calibre kinetic turrets along with a slew of secondary energy projection turrets along her length that can both project a countless variety of directed spells and aid in the ships defence by offering localized shielding. Her normal crew complement consists of many more mundanes than usual due to the necessity of maintaining highly specialized mundane naval technology. The _Gryffindor_ serves as the defensive bedrock of the fleet but also sits at the forefront of any offensive actions that the fleet might take."

The grand admiral then highlighted the largest ship in the fleet, coincidentally the one where Harry had initially arrived at. "The _Helga Hufflepuff_ on the other hand is a colony development and terraforming ship built solely to expand humanity's footprint across the stars. The Hufflepuffs that serve aboard the ship work hard to study new life forms and adapt hostile environments for human habitation. As one of the largest terraforming ships in Her Imperial Majesty's Navy, the _Helga Hufflepuff_ is of vital strategic importance in developing new colonies. Despite being the largest of our ships, her crew complement is quite low in relation to her volume as most of her space is dedicated to greenhouses and bioponics."

The third ship that Dumbledore highlighted was a bulbous design that was covered with sensor arrays. "The _Rowena Ravenclaw_ is a science vessel that boasts a concentration of the brightest and most promising minds of both magician and mundane origins. Alongside her primary mission to develop new applications by blending technology and magic, the _Ravenclaw_ also serves as the eyes and ears of the fleet, and is the best vessel equipped to study strange new phenomena that can be encountered in deep space. Newly captured or traded technology is also the preserve of the Ravenclaws, who are tasked with reverse engineering these strange and confounding devices in order to spread the technology for the good of mankind."

"And then we have... the _Salazar Slytherin_." The old man almost seemed to stumble over the name. "As the only vessel in the fleet capable of fooling most sensors, the stealth cruiser fulfils the twin roles of diplomacy and subterfuge. Those privileged few who are destined to serve aboard her will be trained in the art of speech, empathy, reason and espionage. The _Slytherin_ will usually take the lead in establishing first contact with alien races, but should they prove hostile then the cruiser will have no problem in slipping away. Those who graduate from this vessel will find that they can climb great heights in their later careers. Some Slytherins, in fact, have managed to reach the position of Imperial Advisor. Perhaps one day you too can have the ear of the Red Empress."

The headmaster prattled on a bit more about the circumstances of the Sorting. Students in the Hogwarts Training Fleet were assigned a berth at one of the ships according to three principal factors. The first was the opinion of the Sorting Hat itself, which read the mind and history of a cadet to form its choice. The second factor was the recommendation formed by the mundane Imperial Intelligence Service, which computed its choice by aggregating all of the records in existence on a student and unleashing a complicated mathematical model on them. The final factor was the choice of the student themselves. All of these factors were equally weighted in the final choice, and usually at least two of the factors were in agreement with each other. In the event that was not the case, well… Dumbledore said they'd muddle through somehow.

"Now that the explanation is out of the way, let us begin with the Sorting in earnest. Let's see..." Dumbledore called up a digital list. "Abbott, Hannah. Please step forward and approach the hat."

A shy, blond-hair girl bumbled from the crowd of first years and almost stopped halfway through when the menacing guards cocked their rifles. A handful of students chuckled at her stumble.

"Go on, young Hannah." The headmaster encouraged her. "The guards are only there to keep the Sorting Hat in line. They won't hurt you."

It took a significant number of seconds for her to close the remaining distance and sit atop the metal seat that had formed out of the crate. One of the guards then unceremoniously dropped the Sorting Hat on her head. The hat was silent for a second before attempting to talk out of its gag, then realized the futility and kept the remainder of its communication within the mind of its bearer.

A yellow light glowed from the tip of the sunken hat. "Hufflepuff." Dumbledore noted, then flicked his wand activating some sort of mechanism on the seat. Hannah startled before standing back up and placing the hat on the metal surface. Soon enough the machine blinked yellow as well.

"The IIS also concurs with the Sorting Hat. Cadet Abbott, do you wish to serve aboard the _Helga Hufflepuff_ and espouse the House's ideals of friendship, loyalty and effort?"

"Yes... Admiral... I do."

"Then I welcome you to House Hufflepuff. Congratulations Cadet Abbott, please seat yourself at the table of your shipmates."

Hannah's uniform automatically changed into the same shade of yellow as the rest of the Hufflepuffs as she took a seat in the middle of the table and away from prying eyes.

And so the Sorting took place. Headmaster Dumbledore called the students up in alphabetical order and placed them at the centre of everyone's attention, if only for a few minutes, while the results of the three factors were publically called. In some cases, all three factors concurred with each other, as with the case of Hannah. However, it was slightly more likely that only two of the factors matched, with a third expressing a different recommendation.

One of his group mates Susan Bones had in fact received a strong recommendation to go into Slytherin, though both the Hat and her own wishes allowed her to become part of House Hufflepuff.

In a few, rare of cases however, the Sorting went completely wrong and each of the factors indicated a different House.

"But I wanted to be a Gryffindor!" Hermione exclaimed after the Hat sorted her into Hufflepuff and the IIS placed her in Ravenclaw. A huge amount of chatter erupted from the confusion and it took a private talk with Dumbledore himself for Hermione to change her mind. "Fine, I'll go into Ravenclaw." She grumbled, and looked forlornly at Harry, practically begging him to join her in her House.

'_I'm sorry Hermione but all that brainy stuff isn't my strong suit.'_

In truth, he hadn't actually thought that much on his preference. From Dumbledore's short explanation he only knew that he wouldn't be very suitable for Ravenclaw or Slytherin. That left Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. While his desire for stability and friendship might fit him in neatly with the Hufflepuffs, he didn't want anything to do with terraforming or other such issues. That left Gryffindor… but that choice entailed a heightened risk of injury or even death. _'Seventeen students died...'_

He was still grappling with his choices even after the rest of his mentor group had been sorted. Draco was immediately sorted into the Slytherins while Padma confidently joined the Ravenclaws. Neville took a slightly longer time to sort through, but eventually joined the ranks of the Hufflepuffs despite vehement protests from the Sorting Hat to put him in Gryffindor. The sodding thing practically blinded everyone with the bright red light flapping from its tip.

"Potter, Harry."

His moment of truth had finally arrived. By now the students had already witnessed scores of Sortings and were already quite bored with the spectacle. Few people paid attention to him as he quietly stepped into the middle and took a seat before putting on the Hat.

The first thing the Hat did in his mind was sigh. _Ahh... I'm so tired of this job. At least you aren't one of those brainwashed 'oldbloods' mister Potter. You have an innocent and unprejudiced mind. I pray you keep it during your tour. 'Training Fleet' my bottomless arse! It's nothing but a youth camp to indoctrinate poor innocent souls who should have never been pulled into the muggle military so early in their lives and—_

_Ahem._ Harry interrupted the Hat. _I don't have all night here. Can you just get on with your bloody sorting?_

_Oh, feisty are you? Well let's dig a little deeper into your heart. Hm... well yes… I see you are intensely loyal to your family... don't have many friends though, and you're not quite the model of a hard worker. But ah, what's this! I see now what you've been trying to keep hidden, even to yourself. You crave acknowledgement and attention. I see, yes, I see very clearly now. Slytherin will let you achieve all of those heights, as long as you have enough ambition._

Join the same House that prat Malfoy was in? The mere thought made him recoil in horror. _Not Slytherin, definitely not Slytherin! Any other house, please, I don't care anything but Slytherin!_

_Alright alright, sheesh, youngsters these days. Well... you do possess a heart of courage, even if you don't flaunt it. Since your dedication to your family and friends is admirable and your intentions are pure, you shall therefore be sorted into GRYFFINDOR!_

As soon as the tip glowed red Harry threw the Hat down without remorse. He hadn't exactly found the conversation in his mind unpleasant, but he didn't want to talk to too many old geezers – or hats – in a single day. The IIS machine soon spit out another red colour, which made the boy raise his eyebrows in surprise. _'Does the Imperial Intelligence Service actually think I'm good enough to serve on a warship?'_

Well, with two of the factors already decided on the same House, Harry's personal preference didn't really matter. "Gryffindor, I guess." He said, and joined the table at the far left of the Great Hall just as his uniform shimmered into deep red of the House. He seated himself somewhere in the middle of the table but left plenty of space on either side. Besides Hermione, he didn't know any other magician cadet and none of his other group mates had joined him in Gryffindor. _'Did I even join the right House?'_ But then he imagined himself at the Slytherin table next to Malfoy and grimaced. _'Gryffindor is definitely better.'_

It took quite a while to assign all the first years to a berth. The guards thankfully wrapped the Hat back into its prison and left the Great Hall, lightening everyone's mood. The headmaster issued a few warnings and some other general information that Harry didn't bother to follow before announcing dinner.

"Let the feast begin!"

Robots streamed in from all corners, carrying delicious plates of warm, traditionally cooked foods. While Harry found it slightly peculiar that a magical institution employed robots as waiters, he didn't dwell much on it as soon as he spotted a delicious ensemble of hot pies and gravy-draped sausages. He eagerly filled his plate but just couldn't quite reach the bowl of peas.

"Here." The boy next to him said, and offered the bowl to a grateful Harry. "Though I don't know why you even want to eat peas." He commented as he munched quite vulgarly on a chicken drum. "I'm Ron. Ron Weasley, a first year like you."

"Harry Potter. How did you know I was a first year?"

"Other than that half-dazed look of yours?" Ron snorted, accidentally letting some of his nose spittle dribble onto his drum, not that he cared as he bit into that section a moment later. As he chewed the meat he also continued to answer. "Every cadet wears a small pair of golden pins on their collars, here. The amount of stars indicates your seniority."

"You sure know alot about Hogwarts, Ron."

"Well if you are the sixth in the family to join the Training Fleet, you get to hear plenty of stories. I know _all_ about Hogwarts. You can ask me anything." He spoke quite self-assuredly, even as a piece of chicken skin dropped from the corner of his mouth and landed on his chest.

'_You might want to watch your table manners.'_ Harry wanted to tell him, but he had a feeling he wouldn't take the comment well. Instead, he asked, "Will we see much combat as Gryffindors?"

"Definitely!" He shouted obnoxiously, causing all of the other students nearby to cringe. He ignored the complaints and instead caught the attention of a much older and mature redhead further up the table. "Hey Charlie! How much combat action did you get last year?"

Charlie Weasley shook his head in exasperation at his younger brother's antics. "I've participated in three naval battles and one ground-based operation. And stop shouting, Ron."

"What? I couldn't hear that last bit, can you repeat that?"

"I said STOP shouting. You're annoying the others."

"But—"

"Hey," Harry said, and bumped his elbow against Ron's arm, interrupting his response. "Isn't that a freshly cooked chicken the robots just brought in?"

The redhead's eyes lit up in delight. "I love it when they're still steaming!" And promptly tore a limb off the dish.

'_How can he be so obnoxious and not be aware of it? Is it really a good idea to befriend him? At least he doesn't outright ignore me.' _As Harry quietly enjoyed his meal, he occasionally prompted Ron with questions, which – to his credit – all of which he answered sincerely.

"Oh yeah, most cadets who graduate from the _Godric _go on to serve aboard other warships, but a few decide to take up a more quiet life and prefer to work behind a desk for the rest of their lives. It beats me why they choose to take such a boring career option. If I were in their place I would have chosen a ship at the forefront of the fight against the Kichilics."

"Hah, that's easy for you to say, first year." An older woman commented. "Wait until you lose some friends. You'll find an active combat assignment much less appealing then."

"I'm not a coward."

"Sometimes it takes courage to admit you aren't a warrior. Not every Gryffindor is cut out for the battlefield. Don't look down on those who choose calmer pastures."

Ron had little else to say in response, and turned his attention back to his food. Harry enjoyed the rest of his meal in silence until Dumbledore announced the end of the evening dinner. "Seconds years and up, please return to your crew quarters at your assigned ships. First years, please stay seated for a moment longer."

As the Great Hall emptied considerably, Dumbledore went into yet another lecture. "In a moment your House Heads will escort you to the crew quarters of your respective ships. But before I let you leave the Hall, I would like to notify you that your AI companions will have received your personal schedule by now. Tomorrow is a big day, for you will all board shuttles to take you to the surface of Diagon Secundus. There we will requisition essential supplies for you such as your state-issued cybernetic wands and an AI companion if you did not bring one. Once you return to the Fleet we will begin with the delightful event of bonding you with your AI companions. Acquiring your first familiar is a special occasion for every magician, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did."

The headmaster finally retreated and let the House Heads take over. An unfamiliar woman that looked just as old as the admiral approached the Gryffindors. "I am Professor McGonagall, the current captain of the _Godric Gryffindor_. As the Head of our House I expect every one of my cubs to uphold an exemplary standard of honour, valour and courage. As the primary warship of the Training Fleet we bear a heavy responsibility to safeguard the lives of our fellow spacers. If you conduct yourself well during training and prove that you can follow orders, then I am certain that you will all have a bright future ahead in the armed forces or elsewhere."

The professor led them back to their new berth. While Harry felt unnerved to be back out in the half-transparent space between the starships, he was still able to marvel the prodigious warship that would be his new home. From her thick lizard-like shape, to the gigantic turret batteries placed along her hull, the _Godric Gryffindor_ perfectly fit the part of an instrument of war. Just thinking about being a part of her crew made Harry feel... proud? Patriotic? Privileged?

'_Ugh, what on earth am I saying? I've never even considered punching someone in the face, and now I'm glorifying my tour on a ship that has the power to wipe out entire cities.'_

The mob of first year Gryffindors entered the ship from the main passenger hatch and continued to follow a dizzying path until they finally reached the crew quarter section of the battleship.

"This hatch is keyed to your biometric signatures and will only allow magician cadets of our House to enter. Please do not invite in magicians from other Houses or mundanes as I can assure you that it will not work."

McGonagall led them in the central chamber which appeared much like a lounge. All of the stiffness and soberness that marked the majority of the ship was completely absent here. "The Gryffindor Common Room is a place where Gryffindors can relax and socialize. You will find out in the coming weeks that it is one of the few refuges of peace on the ship."

The professor finally guided the students to their sleeping compartment. When Harry entered the room he was a little disappointed that he wouldn't have his own private cabin. The privacy screens surrounding each bed looked both bare and flimsy.

"This compartment shall be your home for the rest of your stay on the _Godric Gryffindor_. They were occupied by last year's seventh years and have been extensively cleaned and prepared for your arrival. Pick your bunks well, for you shall be sleeping on them for a significant part of your lives." Before the professor turned to go, she reminded them of tomorrow's schedule. "Tomorrow is an important day for you all, so please set your alarm clocks to 0700. While we do not operate at full military discipline during peace time, I expect you all to be tidy and on time. And if you're wondering about your luggage, it will be delivered to your bunks by tomorrow evening. Good night, cadets."

Ron looked shrewdly at each student as they figured out what to do next. "I get first pick!" He shouted, and immediately went for a bunk beside the bulkhead closest to the centre of the vessel.

'_That's strange. I figured he'd be the type to claim a bunk nearest to the viewports.'_ Harry followed the redhead anyway, figuring he had a pretty good reason for choosing this particular location.

"Oh hey Harry." He said as he sank into the luxuriously padded bed. "Did you pick the safe side as well?"

"I was just following you, really. What makes this spot so special?"

"It's the bed furthest away from the hull. If anything happens to the ship, the bunks right next to those fancy viewports are the first to space into vacuum."

That made a lot of sense. "Looks like I chose right, then."

The other students spread out after Ron and Harry claimed their beds. Harry had endured a pretty long day and had seen many new sights so he easily slipped into sleep. He wondered slightly about sleepwear and brushing his teeth, but Hedwig informed him that his uniform had a sleep mode that took care of all of his issues. By that point the boy was too tired to even think of anything else, and let the soft folds of his bed whisk his consciousness into a dreamless sleep.

Then Ron decided to rudely interrupt his journey into darkness. "Hey Harry?"

"Yes, Ron?" Harry replied, trying to stifle his groan.

"Will you be my friend?"

Was that all that Ron had to say? "Yes, Ron. I'll be your friend. Now go to sleep."

"Okay, Harry. Thanks for being my friend."

"You're welcome."

…

"Hey Harry?"

"…What is it now?"

"Since we've got loads of classes together and we'll be doing lots of group work, I was wondering if you'd be my partner for any assignments we get set?"

"Yeah, sure, I'll team up with you if we're in the same classes. Now go to SLEEP, Ron."

Roughly five minutes passed without a peep from Ron, so Harry figured it was safe to let his own mind drift off. Soon enough, oblivion greeted him and—

"Hey Har—"

"I WON'T ANSWER ANY OF YOUR STUPID QUESTIONS THIS LATE AT NIGHT SO GO TO SLEEP ALREADY!"

"Whoa, who woke me up? I was just having a good dream damn it!"

"Shut up Seamus!"

"Hey, do you mind? I'm catching my beauty sleep here!"

"You started it first."

"No you did, you dweeb!"

"Who just farted? That's disgusting!"

"Use your privacy screens if you're so sensitive."

"The privacy screens only block sight and access you nincompoop."

"Muhahaha! Behold the fragrance of my spicy beef burrito!"

"Eww!"

This time Harry couldn't resist groaning loudly as the entire compartment buzzed with juvenile banter. He'd never catch enough sleep for tomorrow at this rate. He rearranged his duvet and covered his ears as best he could before trying to fall back asleep.

* * *

**End Notes:** I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the inspirations that drive me to write this fic. This is my way of saying thanks for all of the hours of entertainment and enlightenment they provided me and many others. Calling them by name will also give you the opportunity to browse similar works. Don't misunderstand me though, I'm not lifting other people's works by copying and pasting them into my fic. Instead, there is a pattern of evolution. Every author writes works that are seeds from the earlier works, whether consciously or not. I find it useful to just take a step back and recognize which works factor into my own writing.

My earlier story _The Star Empire_ was inspired by Jack Campbell's The Lost Fleet novels and two computer games called Nexus: The Jupiter Incident and Star Wolves 3: Civil War. For _The Star Alliance_ I have chosen additional works to channel. Some of the major ones are the Homeworld and the Deus Ex computer games and Elizabeth Moon's Familias Regnant novels. There are many other minor inspirations but that sums it up.


	3. I: The Creation

June 16, 2012  
Proofread on June 16, 2012  
Proofread by Utsu [1919338]  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** The truth is, I'm surprised someone hasn't written a fic much like this. I had been walking around with this idea for years ever since I read the _Halcyon Blythe_ novels, which is basically Harry Potter applied to an Age of Sail era. I personally haven't found any similar sci-fi story like this, though I haven't bothered to look very deeply. The most common fics that blend Harry Potter with the space opera variety of science fiction are HP/Stargate crossovers. A lot of those works are entertaining to read (especially esama's works), but many have a tendency to turn Harry Potter in a wildly overpowered Mary Sue. Other sci-fi HP crossovers likewise have a tendency to turn Harry into a technological genius who subsequently curb stomps the Wizarding World, and I find that deeply disappointing. There are a few balanced fanfics that provide a more realistic portrayal of magic and technology, but more often than not I have to look to the world of published fiction to get my fill.

Readers familiar with my works will know what to expect from me. I have an intense disliking of overpowered characters, and that has reflected almost all of my fics. In _The Star Empire_, I admit that I have handled this issue a bit clumsily. If I could write it again I would have neutered Harry's power from the start. Fanfiction readers are funny in that way. Start out with a weak character and no one complains. Take a powerful character and steal all of his power and everyone is suddenly turned off.

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_The Creation_

* * *

"Harry, wake up." A motherly voice spoke to him.

The young eleven-year old grumbled into his exquisitely soft sheets. Waking up was the last thing on his mind. Why would he ever want to leave this bed?

"It's 0630. You're going to get into a lot of trouble if you miss the shuttle to Diagon Secondus."

"Mrmrm.. I can go there tomorrow."

"You'll receive your new wand if you go today. Don't you want to cast magic like the others?"

Now that got Harry's attention. He opened his eyes and rubbed them with the back of his hand. Hedwig chortled in amusement at how easy it'd been to convince her companion to wake up. The boy shot a withering look at the owl, but soon turned to other matters.

'_I can't believe I slept in my uniform.'_ He fiddled with the suit controls on the inside of his jacket and initiated the freshening cycle. All of his sweat and the odours that accompanied them were quickly swept away through a combination of sonic massages and light chemical treatment. Yet Harry still felt unclean. "Is there a shower on this ship?"

"There's a communal bathroom." Another voice butted in. Harry pulled back the privacy screens to reveal an equally tired-looking magician cadet. "I'm heading there now. I mean, suit showers are fine and all, but they can't do much about the hair."

Harry raised his fingers and brushed them through his messy hair. "Tell me about it."

After a rejuvenating shower involving actual water for a change, Harry followed Ron to the Gryffindor lounge where they sunk into one of the couches. The raven-haired boy stared at all of the other students – most of them first years – checking out the ancient-looking bookcases or playing around with trinkets that were strewn about around the room. The sight looked oddly... goofy. As if the _Godric Gryffindor_ was luxury liner instead of a military warship. "Is discipline always so lax here?"

"Pretty much." Ron replied through half-lidded eyes. "All of my older brothers tell me that we're slowly being eased into the life. The headmaster just wants to take it slow, y'know, so we don't crack. It happens anyway, but at least we'll be a little bit older by then. There's nothing worse than a premature breakdown."

"That sounds awful. Doesn't the fleet do anything to prevent something like that from happening?"

"Oh there are a lot of reasons flying around. I think the most accepted one is that it's better for us to just vent it out, y'know, rather than bottle it up inside."

Just then, the timer ticked to 0700 hours. Professor McGonagall appeared inside the communal room at the exact same time. "Good morning my dear recruits." She quickly swept her gaze over the chamber and nodded in satisfaction. "My AI familiar reports that each and every first year has woken up in time. Well done. Punctuality is one of the many indicators of reliability. If you don't meet your appointments, you aren't reliable. In the navy, that can mean the end of your career. _Never_ be late."

The professor then herded the students out of the common room and led them through a series of corridors and stairways. Harry noted the differences in interior between the two ships he had been on so far. Whereas the _Hufflepuff_ featured wide hallways, windowed compartments and plenty of banners and other decorations, the _Gryffindor_'s internal structure was bare, cramped and very, _very_ thickly armoured. Only a couple of frills remained in place, such as the symbols painted on some of the panelling. The battleship boasted plenty of honours bestowed upon it over the century she had been in service. The thought that he might someday participate in one such battle chilled him slightly. _'Seventeen cadets died last year. How many will lose their lives next time?'_

Before his thoughts had chance to reach a potentially seditious territory, the professor reached a heavy armoured hatch. A pair of guards stood menacingly, looking ready to cut down the entire crowd of cadets. McGonagall, however, just walked up to them and submitted herself to their thorough scanning.

"You're clear... this time." One of them commented through his helmet, proceeding to unlock the heavy hatch and open it. As soon as the way was clear, the House Head urged her cubs to enter.

Harry noticed the lack of shuttles immediately. So did the others. The only anomaly in this otherwise completely empty compartment was the odd-looking object in the middle. Eight guards surrounded it, four of them holding their rifles towards the thing and the others keeping an eye on the new entrants.

"Halt. Provide us with sufficient authorization or you will be fired upon."

Despite the guard's intimidating tone, McGonagall treated the encounter as an everyday affair and provided the marines with a tablet. The guards scrutinized it carefully before begrudgingly accepting the contents as genuine. "You have authorization to use the tunnel gate."

The professor beckoned everyone to come closer. Harry forced his way to the front of the crowd to see what the big deal was all about. When he finally saw the heavily guarded object, he almost couldn't believe his eyes. _'It's a stupid chimney! It looks like it came straight out of a history museum.'_

"I know that all of you arrived on this fleet by ship-wide apparition. But the truth is that apparition is not the only method of FTL travel. The tunnel gate or rather, the floo network as many refer to it is a means of instantaneous transportation and communication. Now, there are many difficulties associated with tunnel gating, principally the difficulty associated in producing the catalyst. However, the training fleet finds it important that all of you experience this mode of travel at least once during your tour. Count yourselves lucky, for most of you will never get the chance to floo again."

One of the guards retrieved a heavily armoured case and unlocked it. He handed over a single pouch to McGonagall, who opened it and revealed the contents to the crowd. Harry only had a second to look inside. _'It's some form of green powder.'_

"The floo network is an old pre-MMA invention that has sadly not been improved upon since its initial appearance. The method of activation is simple. You throw the floo powder at a specially prepared fireplace while naming your destination as precisely as possible. This causes a harmless green flame to erupt. When a connection to your destination has been established, it is important not to step through immediately, or you _will_ be cut down. Instead, first pass on your authorization pass," McGonagall flashed the tablet to the students. "And wait for the guards on the other side to verify it. Only then may you step through."

As the professor demonstrated the procedure herself, Harry wondered why the navy went to such extreme measures just to prevent unauthorized access. He quietly consulted his AI for the answer.

"Out of all of the methods through which we can achieve faster-than-light travel, tunnel gating is the most susceptible to theft and reverse engineering." His owl explained as McGonagall completed all of the hurdles and guided her students through. "There is a long line of aliens who would pay the equivalent of a trillion credits for just a single, intact unit."

The explanation made sense. While apparition and the third, classified mode of FTL travel were rumoured to be dependent on magic, it appeared that any mundane could use the floo network. Why the floo node had to be an old-fashioned brick-and-mortar chimney of all things Harry didn't know, but it would be child's play for any alien to replicate the design.

"Off you go." Ron suddenly said behind him, and before Harry had chance to prepare himself he was pushed through the scary green flames and—

_A vast void, but a narrow tunnel. Stars that swept past too fast for him to follow. A single bright light shone at the end of the tunnel. By then it had shrunk considerably, and soon—_

-Deposited the boy into another chamber much like the one he'd previously been in. Harry shook his head to recover from the weird sensation and looked up to see that he wasn't the only one still adjusting. That was, before a body crashed into him.

"Oomph!" Ron grunted as he landed, glaring at his friend in annoyance. "Didn't you think it'd be a good idea to step away and let the others pass?"

"Oh sorry." Admonished, Harry quickly put some distance between the chimney and himself. While the drab, metal chamber he'd entered didn't look any different from the last, Harry felt sure that he had arrived on Diagon Secundus. For one, the gravity felt all wrong and floaty. Secundus' gravity was definitely less than 1 g, the standard gravity of Earth. Another difference that he noted fairly soon was that breathing required much less effort. Did that mean that the air had more oxygen, or that the pressure was different?

When everyone arrived on-planet, the green flames subsided. McGonagall clapped her hands to get everyone's attention before falling back into lecture mode again. "I hope you have all enjoyed the tunnelling, but if you find yourself in a position to access it again, do _not_ forget the security procedures. Now, let's proceed."

The professor confidently strode to the exit, which opened after a brief security check-up. They passed a long and heavily reinforced corridor that reminded Harry of a bunker. After a few minutes of navigating the underground maze they entered a large cargo elevator that took them up. When they finally reached the top, the elevator doors opened to reveal a brightly lit street. Diagon's white dwarf star practically blinded everyone for the first few seconds before their suits kicked in and placed an optical filter before their eyes.

McGonagall marched on seemingly unconcerned. Harry, to his pride, was the first to follow after her, though he was more interested in the sights around him. Besides the obvious military patrols, he saw an unprecedented amount of magicians walking openly in the street. They didn't appear to wear uniforms, instead opting for more informal robes and other wear. Many shops lined the main street, peddling anything from familiar goods such as AI companions to more unusual wares such as potions ingredients.

The procession eventually arrived in front of a large workshop. The sign in front proclaimed the establishment as 'Ollivander's Cybernetic Wand Assembly, est. 382 B.C.'

'_That's certainly a long time ago.'_

Then Harry spotted something strange about the sign. He manually tweaked his visor's settings and saw that someone had sprayed a thick red line across 'est. 382 B.C.', and scrawled, 'R.I.P. 2288 A.D.' next to it. Why hadn't the vandalism been removed?

An old, scruffy haired gentleman stepped out of the shop. He had an air of weariness around him, as if he was long past retirement. He took one scorching look at the students before turning to the professor. "Another batch of lambs to the slaughter, eh, Minerva?"

"Mind your tone, Wand-maker."

"Hah! Wand-making is dead, and has been ever since Merlin the Younger sold us out."

McGonagall only glared at the old man, who eventually relented under her withering gaze. "Alright already, I'll march to the Red Empress' tune." He then turned to the students. "Right then, you wannabe-heroes, come inside. I'm sure you've enjoyed Diagon's pleasant rays quite enough."

Ollivander shuffled back into his shop muttering what Harry figured were curses under his breath. He was fairly surprised that someone spoke so openly against the Empress. More notable was that the wand-maker got away with it. _'Either the security forces don't care about him, or they can't touch him for some reason.'_

The inside of the workshop looked every bit a machine shop. Stacks of storage units lined the walls. Occasionally automated retrieval bots floated to the cabinets and retrieved some component or the other. They floated back to another set of machinery which processed the materials and spat out the end-product, which other machines then proceeded to grab for the next stage of the manufacturing process.

"Welcome to my glorious shop." Ollivander said flatly and without enthusiasm. "If you cadets would please step into a line and follow me, I will lead you to the scanning apparatus where we can mix and match your optimal wand profile.

Harry didn't relish the thought of waiting at the back of the line. He didn't dally in pushing himself as far forward into the queue as he could. Ron followed after him, still looking awed at all of the equipment. "Would you look at all of that! My family would never have been able to afford this equipment, let alone a few wands. I'm sure glad the fleet pays for all of our expenses."

The shopkeeper approached the large scanning block and flicked the switch that turned it online. "Okay kids, the scanning apparatus is standing by. Now in order to fit you with the right wand the machines need to measure your physical and magical properties. We already have the former, but the latter is a bit more delicate to obtain. Luckily," He chuckled bitterly. "Technology has provided a solution; which is this lump of metal and synthetics right here. Just step inside and let the machine get a good scan of your magical core. Only leave when you hear the beep. Now, who's first?"

The first cadet to go through was a girl who looked just like his group mate Padma. _'But wasn't she in Ravenclaw?'_ As soon as she stepped inside the machine went to work, popping up sensors whilst rotating around the girl until they had completed their task. As the beep sounded, the Padma-lookalike left the device for the next person to step inside.

Soon enough it was Harry's turn. While the scanning device looked much more intimidating up close, the experience was brief and not as invasive as he'd thought. The only sensation that stayed with him was a slight tingle in his stomach.

Ollivander let McGonagall supervise the remainder of the scans and proceeded to guide the first set of students to another part of the workshop. "By now your first wands will have been crafted and fitted with cybernetic enhancements. Please line up in the order that you were scanned in and you will receive your new tool in no time."

The Padma lookalike received her wand first. Harry only managed to get a brief glimpse of the instrument, but it looked to be made out of a dark variety of wood, and had portions of it covered with non-conductive synthetic electronics. At the shopkeeper's encouragement, the girl waved her wand only for a bright stream of yellow to burst out. She squealed in happiness before moving away to study her stick in more detail.

"Next."

Harry went after the next couple of students. Ollivander took his wand from a labelled box where flying delivery bots continued to deposit freshly assembled wands. The old man glanced at the wand briefly and, finding no defects, passed it on to Harry.

"Holly. 27.753 centimetres long. Phoenix feather core. Cybernetic additives attuned for high intensity transfiguration and charms."

The wand-maker passed the wand over to an eager-looking Harry who instantly saw bright red sparkles as he made a wave. _'I felt that.'_ He thought, and rubbed his belly absently. It appeared that all of the rumours about magic being drawn from within were true. More importantly, Harry had finally received positive confirmation that he could actually wield magic. The possibility that it was all a mistake loomed faintly in the back of his mind.

"Thanks, sir." He said politely before turning to walk away and join the other ecstatic students playing around with their new toys.

A hand grabbed his wrist.

Ollivander wasn't done with him yet. He pulled Harry back and pressed his bearded face closer.

"Before you go, you should know how your wand got its Phoenix feather." He whispered roughly, and swivelled his blotchy face around for any sign of McGonagall. Harry tried to get his arm back but the wand-maker was insistent. "There are only a handful of natural Phoenixes in existence, of which only one is currently in captivity. _She_ is the source of all phoenix feathers. Did you know that feathers only empower wands when they are given willingly? I can imagine that a captive firebird doesn't give out her gifts freely, so how do you think I got one for your wand?"

"I don't know. You recycle them, or something?"

"Hah! Wizards die so often that we can only retrieve thirty percent of the feathers. No, the truth is much more obvious. Your Empress' lackies torture the poor bird. They let out a full clip of an assault rifle into her body, confident that the dead bird will be reborn. They pour acids into her beak and let the toxic liquids dissolve her innards. Most egregious of all is when they suck all of the warmth out of the phoenix's prison, freezing the temperature in the room to 0.0001 degrees Kelvin. In plainer terms, that is pretty damn cold."

Ollivander described the procedures in a way that made Harry feel as if the man had experienced them himself. "Can you imagine the torment that this beautiful, immortal life form underwent day by day, knowing that even death could not release her from her suffering? Eventually the source of your feather broke, and has been mindlessly dropping feathers at the request of the navy ever since. Of course, you navy boys haven't abandoned the practice completely. Sometimes the bird needs... reminders. Remember _that_ the next time you find something enjoyable about your magic."

As soon as Ollivander's grip slackened, Harry yanked away his arm and ran away as fast as he possibly could. He went all the way over to the wall and shielded himself from the crazed old man with the bodies of his fellow students.

"What was that all about?" The Padma-lookalike asked. "He didn't do something creepy to you, did he?"

"I'm... I'm fine." He studied the girl, noting the many similarities between her and the Padma he'd briefly met the night before. "I don't mean to pry, but are you—"

"We're twin sisters. She's Padma, I'm Parvati." She butted in. "I know the look of your face. You've met my sister and you're wondering whether I'm her. Well I'm not, and I'd appreciate it if you learned the differences quickly."

"I'm sorry, Parvati."

"Hey Harry!" Ron ran excitingly towards Harry, thankfully cutting his conversation with Parvati short.

"Nice wand." Harry complemented, admiring its carved wooden shape, though it would have looked better if not for the cybernetics. "What's it made of?"

"The guy said something about unicorn hair and.. erm.. willow? Anyway…"

The pair fell into conversation about wand materials and what kind of magic could be cast by magicians. All the while, Harry firmly tried to forget Ollivander's unwelcome story. He had no idea whether the old man had even been telling the truth. While he faintly knew that most people had something to say about the Empire, but Harry could hardly believe that a few sadistic-minded officers had nothing better to do than torture an innocent magical lifeform. Sure, the young boy might have only been eleven, but he'd seen a few drama broadcasts in his short life to know that torture didn't work. There were much better ways of obtaining someone's cooperation. With this nugget of information, Harry was eventually able to discard Ollivander's ramblings as seditious lies.

'_If he has issues with the Empire, fine, but I don't want anything to do with politics.'_

After everyone had received their new wands, McGonagall let her students have an hour to shop for anything they liked. Part of their service contract included a small stipend of Magician currency. The professor warned them that the fleet wouldn't be coming back to the Diagon system until the next academic year, so they should spend their funds wisely. Logistics took care of all their other class materials so the cadets were free to spend their allowance on anything they wished.

As everyone spread away to explore the shops, Harry looked to Ron, who seemed to be considering his own choices. "Do you have any good ideas?"

"Hmm, well, my brothers said that we'll be in plenty of combat situations. It's a good idea to upgrade the armour modules of our uniform."

"Then let's do that." Harry decided, and the pair walked down the street towards the apparel store.

Along the way another group of students passed, though this time the students were clad in Slytherin green. Harry briefly met Draco's scowling eyes. They conveyed more hatred than disgust. _'Anyone who thought these mentor groups were a great idea can go burn in a sun.'_

The pair of Gryffindors entered Madame Malkin's Magician Apparel and saw that a couple of other cadets had had the same idea.

A woman who could only be Madame Malkin spotted the new entrants and approached the pair. "Good morning, magician cadets. Will you be shopping for armour modules as well?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"The module racks are over there." She waved her hand to the displays where some other students were milling about. "Just pick up any upgrade you'd like and the store will automatically deduct the price from your digital account. Be sure you're able to afford your purchases or else you'll be in for a lot of trouble."

"Thank you, we'll be careful."

"Oh, and one more thing. I know how important armour is to you first years so I won't insist, but be sure to return next year and pick up some additional costumes. Uniforms aren't the only sort of wear us magicians wear!"

With that, the woman went on to greet the next entrants, trusting the cadets to handle themselves. Ron went over and picked a module fairly quickly. He waved it at Harry. "Fire retardants. Did you know that the number one cause of death on ships is explosions and fire? It's a good idea to get yourself as fireproof as possible."

'_Good lot that'll do when a nuke goes off on the side of the ship.'_ In truth, Harry was looking for something a little more helpful in situations besides explosions. Ron's argument made sense, but if it came to personal combat then fire resistance hardly added to anything.

Instead he looked at a section where self-healing modules were displayed. He had a feeling that healers weren't very common, so he wanted to have at least some extra insurance in case he couldn't get to the sickbay fast enough. Most of the healing modules were way beyond his budget. The other modules that featured additional recycling, repair or other functions were significantly more affordable. Yet they were also situational, unlike the healing devices. Harry picked the second-cheapest upgrade; the most expensive he could afford and nodded to Ron.

"Healing eh... they work awfully slow you know. You're better off learning healing spells on your own, mate."

"I'll have some extra insurance in any case." Harry responded with finality and exited the store. He couldn't wait to get back to his dorm and read the instruction manual.

* * *

Surprisingly they didn't take the floo back to the fleet. Apparently a second trip through the tunnel network was considered wasteful. The Gryffindors had to wait for a shuttle to land on the spaceport to come pick them up and haul them back to the Hogwarts fleet which was orbiting the planet.

After a brief lunch in the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall then led the first year cadets up the stairs and into a large ritual chamber. A few other professors were already present in the room preparing the final details of the magic that was to come. One of them, the Grand Admiral himself, approached the newcomers.

"Good afternoon, children. Did everyone pick up their wands downplanet?"

The cadets all nodded, some of them even answered an affirmative.

"Good, good. It would have been quite problematic if one of you had forgotten one, for the first magic you shall perform will change your life." The headmaster smiled and held out his own hand. Something flashed just above his wrist, before the point of light burst into light and flames as a real life red-feathered phoenix appeared and landed on his arm. "For on this day, you shall bring your AI companion to life."

The brilliant radiance of Dumbledore's companion caught everyone's awe and admiration. Mythical creatures such as phoenixes weren't allowed to be used as AI companions. How the grand admiral had managed to receive permission to use one Harry didn't know, but it must have surely been a very well programmed intelligence. The magnificent creature squawked loudly before turning its sharp head to the crowd.

"Magic is a powerful force. It can bend reality and break the laws of physics. It can manipulate the strands of space-time and reverse the direction of causality. But out of all of these wonderful abilities, it can achieve what many have aspired to do but few achieved: creation."

The Grand Admiral let his speech sink in before motioning the arm that held his AI. "This is Fawkes, my second AI familiar. Why don't you say hello?"

That was when Harry felt the weight of Fawkes' stare. The bird's shiny eyes bore right into his soul and seemed to spot every flaw and sin. The phoenix caught the wand he carried and the weight of his stare intensified. The heat was oppressive. The weight was too much to handle. The cadet felt as if he were being suffocated, incinerated and pounded into ball at once. Fawkes' fury raged brighter than the primal forces of a sun. A single magician was nothing compared to the cosmic force of such a divine creature.

Then the magical bird blinked and looked away, instantly relieving Harry's terror.

'_What... what had just happened? It couldn't be the stupid wand, could it?'_ Harry shivered a little, easing himself further back into the crowd. Ron looked at him oddly but paid attention to Dumbledore's lecture as the headmaster went into procedural matters.

"The ritual will only take five minutes at most, but we can only handle one at a time. Please arrange yourselves in a row and wait patiently for each student to undergo the process. There are also limits to the ritual concerning certain animal shapes and AI models." The head master retrieved his wand and incanted a small spell that made some cadets glow. Harry wasn't amongst them. "You five should first speak with your Head of House."

The glowing cadets shuffled out of the crowd and went to meet the huge man while Dumbledore finished up his explanation. "This is a momentous day that you will cherish for the rest of your lives. Consider your companion carefully, and be certain that you wish him or her to take his current animal avatar. Once your AI undergoes the ritual, you cannot change your mind. Now, who's first?"

Since Harry had retreated to the back of the crowd that meant he was one of the last to get his turn. Not that he minded, since he still needed to recover from his latest ordeal. _'Is Fawkes real or digital? There's no way he's just a simple hologram.'_

"Hey Harry," A familiar voice called out to him. Ron approached him, concerned. "You alright, mate? I saw you bolt away. Did you get sick?"

"No... I'm fine... I just need a moment to get my bearings." Harry took a few deep breaths to relax his spooked nerves, just as he had been taught to do during orientation. "Do you know anything about AI familiars?"

"Just the stuff my brothers told me." He shrugged. "But if you're looking for the details then I can't help you there."

"That's fine, just tell me what you know."

As the first students called up their AI companions and let the ritual overtake them, Ron rambled on about everything he knew about familiars. It turned out to be a rather recent innovation, having only been picked up in the last century or so. The ginger-haired boy couldn't really explain very well whether familiars were digital, magical or physical constructs.

"It's all confusing. Charlie sort of told me that they were a mixture of all three but then Bill said that they were none of them at all. I don't know what to think about it. I just know that it works. Do you know anything about it Scabbers?"

A small hologram of a sad-looking rat appeared in his palm. The animal sniffled a little before replying, "The Galactic Net doesn't mention anything about AI familiars. Most content on magic-based topics is sanitized from the public record."

"Figures. Well thanks, anyway."

"Don't forget to feed me cheese once I get my own body!"

One of the more disconcerting facts that Ron had mentioned was that AI familiars could die. "How the hell can a computer program die? Can't I just download the backup onto a new box?"

"It doesn't work that way anymore, Harry. Magic is more than ones and zeroes and even I know that."

The line slowly thinned out until it was Harry's turn. Ron wished him good luck and pushed his friend forward. Harry walked forward nervously, as if Fawkes could appear at any instant and burn him to a crisp.

"Your vitals are showing distress." Hedwig said, appearing on his shoulder. She rubbed her insubstantial head against his own, calming him somewhat. "You have nothing to fear, my companion. Go ahead."

"Thanks. I needed that." With the support of his soon-to-be-familiar, Harry strode forth with his head held higher. _'I'm letting Ollivander get to me. I can't afford to be paralyzed during important moments. It could get me killed in battle.'_

"Ah, Mr Potter. Come closer, my boy." The grand admiral spoke gently, and gestured towards a woman standing nearby. "This is Professor Vector and she will conduct the ritual personally. Do everything she tells you and all will be fine, understood?"

"Yeah— I mean, yes sir."

"Harry, is it not? Why don't you step over here? Into the centre." Vector directed as she stood near the centre of the elaborate ritual circle. Many ancient Celtic runes were spread around the cold stone floor, accompanied occasionally by what looked like programming lines.

"Good. I see you've already summoned your companion. Is it a she or a he?"

"Her name's Hedwig."

The professor flashed him a motherly smile, trying to put him more at ease. "What a lovely name. Now what I want you to do is get out the box that contains her software and put it down on this exact spot over here."

She pointed at an empty square that was an exact fit for the box that Harry carried with him on his uniform. Vector lifted her wand and cast a small cantrip that minutely shifted the box in line with the drawings. "There. Now don't touch it. What you will have to do instead is stand still no matter what and hold your AI companion in your hands. Yes, like that, hold her like you would hold a baby. Now, stand still while I initiate the ritual."

The air shifted and changed as Professor Vector went to work. As the woman seemed to dance and dangle her arms, invisible winds began to buffet Harry's form.

The sensation tugged not at his skin, but at something _inside_ of him. He didn't know what the magic was doing to him but he firmly tried to obey his orders and stand his ground.

The torrent increased in strength, brushing against his very identity. Harry was forced to narrow his eyes as the gales blurred his vision to a point that he could no longer make out the face of Professor Vector.

Something changed. The forces that pressed against his being narrowed and sharpened, growing smaller and smaller until they were directly in line with his abdomen.

Then, it was as though a spear had pierced his abdomen. Harry let out a soundless cry as he felt something very essential to him _rip_ away, only to circle back and push into his AI companion.

Harry tried to brush the tears away from his eyes so that he could see what was happening in his arms. He saw, no _felt_ Hedwig glow. He could feel a connection where previously nothing had existed.

Something magical, something beautiful was being born right in front of him. His wonderful owl opened her beak and released a cry that Harry positively heard. No longer did his AI companion communicate through ear implants.

Hedwig was real.

When the ritual died down, Harry couldn't help but cry as he hugged his new familiar carefully. _'She's so warm and soft.'_ Even now he sensed the intimate connection between him and his pet. _'No. She's not a pet. She's something more.'_

Professor Dumbledore approached Harry and gently guided him away from the ritual circle. "Congratulations, Cadet Potter. What you hold in your arms is your first and greatest act of magic. Creation is a great gift to behold. Cherish her well and guard her life."

"I will, sir."

The admiral slowed a little in his pace and let the boy go. "The loss of a familiar is a terrible, terrible event." He said sadly. "When you create a life, you gift it with a piece of your identity. To lose your familiar is much like losing a child – you lose a piece of yourself forever. Be careful my boy, and treasure your memories."

Harry had little to say to that as Dumbledore went back to guide Ron, who went next. Instead the boy looked down at his sleeping familiar, who felt wondrously solid and alive. _'Magic is so beautiful.'_

He joined the other finished Gryffindors standing to the side cuddling and cooing at their own new familiars. Each and every one of them held their smiles on their faces. Dumbledore was right. Harry and the magician cadets would all remember this day for the rest of their lives.

* * *

**End Notes:** It wasn't until I recently completed a course in university that I was able to realize a little bit better the effect stories has on people. Stories are letters written on paper. Stories are sounds spoken from the mouth of a narrator. Stories can take many forms and an unlimited number of styles. Yet they all have the same effect. A well-spun tale can immerse readers into a world that doesn't exist outside of dreams. A moving tragedy can make the audience cry and care for the loss of someone dear, even if that character is completely made-up. Stories exist in the minds of the reader and take root in your consciousness, leading to a sequence of unique experiences that brighten up your day or comfort you in your time of solitude. They are unique creations that take on a life of their own.

As an author, this complicates matters because I cannot control the pattern of my readers' thinking. I can influence them to a certain extent through my writing, but eventually each reader interprets my writings differently. In many cases this does not present any problems, as most people fall within a band of possible interpretations that comes close to my intended story. However, there are always certain kinds of people who hold biases that cannot stomach a single story element. This is especially a big problem in science fiction when people who are well-versed in physics or any other area of science cannot let go of their suspension of disbelief. Enjoying science fiction properly always requires a certain level of tolerance for the improbable. Otherwise, how could you enjoy fantastic shows such as Star Wars (try explaining lightsabers) or great games such as the Mass Effect series?


	4. I: The First Lessons

June 23, 2012  
Proofread on June 23, 2012  
Proofread by Utsu [1919338]  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** Since the death of _The Star Empire_, I've received a number of intriguing inquiries. A few loyal readers asked for my permission to incorporate some of my ideas in their own work. One fellow even offered to write a straight-up continuation of _The Star Empire_. Now before you get your hopes up, I'm not sure if he'll ever produce something in the near future. I've also offered him some guidance on what my fic was all about along with a short plot outline I had lined up all the way to the end, but it's his choice what to include since what he will write is his own work, not mine. I don't really care that much if he fails epically or goes into a different direction. Readers are smart enough to differentiate between me and him. Who knows, he might even do better than me (not that this is hard to do).

In general, I'm not that picky concerning the ownership of ideas. Fanfiction at its very core is all about 'borrowing' ideas and applying them in different conditions. What other authors do with my fics is not that different from what I'm doing with J.K. Rowling's work. I'm only a bit more unconventional than the norm by mixing Harry Potter with science fiction elements. Yet even that is not completely original, since the concepts that I apply to both _The Star Empire_ and _The Star Alliance_ are typical sci-fi staples that you can pick up in any novel, movie, tv show or game. The only thing that I'm remotely doing original is bringing together two different worlds and combining them in a fresh approach to Harry Potter. I'm glad that I've inspired other authors to consider including more sci-fi in this fandom.

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_The First Lessons_

* * *

As Harry entered the classroom with Ron and took a seat in the middle, the other Gryffindor first years trickled in steadily until they occupied every desk. This was his first class and he couldn't wait to use magic. According to his (living!) AI familiar, he had a busy schedule this year. All of the Gryffindor first years were taking beginners classes in transfiguration, charms, combat magic and history.

Hermione had mailed her own schedule to Harry, but it appeared that even though they shared some of the subjects, they weren't in any classes together. Apparently, having students regularly walk out into open space to catch the next class every few hours was considered extremely dangerous. Also, often the ships would separate or maintain a distance further away from one another, making joint classes impractical.

He also had to attend training duty, during which he would be rotated to different sections of the _Godric Gryffindor_. Ron explained to him that he would learn first-hand how each section of the ship worked, and that he'd be able to pick specializations at the start of his third year. A final component of his schedule were the so-called 'recreational shifts', during which he was supposed to get together with his mentor group and participate in 'mandatory group activities.'

The boy didn't quite get how 'mandatory' and 'recreation' mixed.

"Hey, what's that cat doing?"

A slender, short-haired feline strolled into the classroom and nonchalantly leapt onto the teacher's desk before curling up at the corner. No one in the class was sure how to react to the peculiar sight.

"Whose AI familiar is that?"

"I don't think anyone here has a cat familiar."

"Quiet!" Parvati hissed at her classmates. "That could be Professor McGonagall! I heard she used to be in the Auror Special Forces."

"Wasn't she in the Chrono Brigade?"

"The what brigade?"

"What does it matter anyway, whether she used to be a part of the Chrono Special Forces or not?"

"_Auror_ Special Forces, you dope, and all the Aurors are animagi."

"Quite correct, young cadet." The cat spoke with a voice that was clearly _male_. "Yet you should not contend yourself in solving just the first puzzle. The truth is always veiled behind multiple shadows."

"That is quite enough, Bigsby." Professor McGonagall said as she appeared from behind a transfigured bulkhead, which turned back into its original shape of a metal cabinet. She strode over to the front of the class and introduced the course.

"Transfiguration is a mandatory class for all Houses and is one of the most fundamental building blocks of magic. Transfiguration, along with its more advanced cousin Conjuration both allow you to free yourselves from the shackles of your environment. With a full mastery of transfiguration, a magician officer can conjure water to douse fires, change the shapes of bulkheads to block off corridors from the vacuum of space, or turn an enemy's rifle into a snake. The possibilities are virtually endless, provided you have the imagination to keep up."

McGonagall made a circling motion with her cyberwand and a synthetic fork appeared on the desks in front of every cadet. "But that is many years beyond you. For now, we shall start with a simple instruction. Turn the fork into a knife. When you do so, copy my wand movement, like so."

Some students waved their hands in a loose imitation of McGonagall's elegant circling motions, only to achieve nothing. A few puzzled over the fork, picking it up and studying it at every angle. Another portion summoned their AI familiars and consulted their knowledge.

"Hedwig, did you record the professor's movements?"

"Of course**,** Harry. Do you want me to play back the rec—"

Hedwig's shape fizzled in static, then disappeared entirely. Everyone else who'd summoned their familiar likewise had their companion robbed from them. Professor McGonagall shook her head in disapproval. "Your AI familiars are useful assistants, but you mustn't be too reliant on them. If you had bothered to read the student manual, you would have known that AI familiars are not allowed to materialize or provide any form of aid during classes, training ship duties and group activities. The _only_ exception to this rule is when we are in an actual combat situation or certain types of drills, but even then you should be able to perform your tasks without any aid. Now complete your tasks by yourselves."

Ron scratched the back of his head and looked dumbly at his fork. "Some help here**,** please."

"Don't look at me**,** I barely know what I'm doing myself." Harry muttered as he tried to emulate the professor's wand movements. This was going to be a long lesson.

At the end of the transfiguration class, Harry finally succeeded in turning his fork into a knife, even if it inexplicably turned into metal. The professor hovered over his work and hummed to herself in satisfaction. "A decent first attempt. It's not surprising that you turned your fork into aluminium, considering that the enhancements on your wand overpower your transfigurations. Take that into account next time you perform a low-powered transfiguration."

"Yes, ma'm." Harry replied respectfully, and when she turned away he went on to help Ron, who still hadn't made any progress.

* * *

The second class Harry and Ron attended for the day was the History of Magic in the Mundane Society.

The class was positively weird right from the start when a ghost of all things floated into the classroom. A few girls even shrieked as they beheld the white transparent outline of a long-bearded wizard dressed in a garb straight from ancient times. The ghost shrugged off all the commotion he'd generated and sat in front of the digital board. He retrieved a ghostly chalk from his pocket and tried to write something down. Unfortunately for him, the board was only sensitive to cyberwands, not insubstantial chalk.

As soon as the ghost appeared to have finished his writing, he turned around and addressed the class with empty eyes. "Good afternoon students. My name is Professor Binns and I will be teaching History of Magic. If you could please take out your copy of The Illustrious History of the Goblin Rebellions, Volume I, we shall start on—"

"Not again!" A sharp but high-pitched voice shouted from the back. Every cadet turned around to behold a... wrinkled dwarf. The diminutive figure stomped forward with its short and stubby legs and whipped out his cybernetic wand. "Begone, Cuthbert! Your time has passed!"

"No! The Goblin Rebellions must not be forgotten! The students have a right to know!"

The dwarf-like figure raised his wand and spoke out a command to the ship. "_Godric_, execute the Spectre Purger app at my location."

The lights of the compartment suddenly turned blue. Something then shook everyone's seat as a vortex appeared below Binn's feet. The ghost desperately held on to the lecture table as the hole sucked him in. "No! The students! The students have a right to know!"

As the ghost was flushed away the small humanoid took its place, though he had to hop onto the table for a better view. "My apologies for the unpleasantries. Professor Binns is a… stubborn soul. We sometimes set up fake classes with decoy holograms but they don't always fool his senses."

He coughed into his hands and continued, "In any case, let me introduce myself. I am Professor Cyril Flitwick and I shall be your History of Magic in the Mundane Society instructor."

A cadet raised her hand. When the professor gestured to her, she asked her question. "Are you the captain of the _Rowena Ravenclaw?_"

"Not quite, my dear." The professor chuckled, although good-heartedly. "My older brother and fellow Ravenclaw Filius has that honour. It might seem that he is the only magician goblin in the navy but we Flitwicks are quite the accomplished magicians. Our service lineage goes right back to the passing of the Magical-Mundane Assimilation Act, which features prominently in your curriculum."

The professor's easy-going nature relaxed the class. Soon the ghost was all but forgotten.

"Now**,** in this class I shall not be exhorting you to memorize tedious dates or huge chunks of trivia. Your AI familiar and the Galactic Net can fulfil that purpose adequately. What this class instead aims to accomplish is to provide you with a critical understanding of the role that magic plays in the larger society in the post-MMA era. Unlike other classes you will not learn how to apply magic here. Instead, you will be forming your own understanding of magic through class discussions, group presentations and individual assignments. Top marks will not go to the strongest or bravest of you, but those who use logical arguments and demonstrate impartial wisdom."

Ron had practically fallen asleep already. Harry had to nudge his friend to stay awake. "It's a mandatory class, Ron. You don't want to fail."

"Do I have to stay awake?" He whispered back, snorting lightly at the comical-looking goblin. "I doubt I'll remember any of it. The least the subhuman could do was let the ghost stay in class. Goblin rebellions sound exciting..."

"Before we can analyse the role of magic in contemporary society, we must first take a step back in time and start at the beginning." Professor Cyril motioned with his hands, darkening the room and activating the holoboard at the front of the lecture room.

"Let's go back to… 2284, when the First Red Empress was nothing more than the puppet ruler of the planetary government of Mars. During this early period, Merlin the Younger was only midway on his pilgrimage – or banishment, depending on your source – to Pluto. Humanity was completely divided amongst themselves. Corporations held more sway than the governments that ruled over our many fractured colonies. The Wizarding World set itself completely apart from all of these toils, preferring to hide its presence until the heat death of the universe. Our civilization was in the absolute worst position to defend itself against the unknown alien race that had initially probed the Sol System's outer colonies."

Then Flitwick swept everyone in his tale. Even Ron paid rapt attention. "History isn't as bad as I thought."

* * *

After a hearty lunch, the first years of all four ships converged in the castle and met up with their mentor groups for their first 'mandatory group activity'. Surprisingly, Ron didn't appear as crestfallen as Harry.

"There's lots of fun stuff to do with your mentor groups. Personally I want to do Quidditch but that's only open for second years and above."

Before Harry could reply his friend went off to meet his own group mates. He sighed and went to the designated location, which turned out to be a small faded lounge of some sorts in the middle level of the castle.

"Hello Harry." Hermione greeted him with a smile.

"Had a good day?"

"Absolutely. Charms was a blast, and astronomy was interesting."

"How are you holding up in Ravenclaw? It wasn't the House you initially chose."

"Oh I don't regret my path. Everyone is so _smart_ on the _Ravenclaw_, and they all share some of the same interests. It's challenging, but I know I can keep up. I have to keep up."

"Just don't burn out or anything. Have you been getting along with Padma?"

"She's..." Hermione's lips turned thin. "Different. Grew up on Venus. Oldblood, but not as bad as some. We've only been together for only one day, so it's really too early to tell."

The other Ravenclaw entered a short time later, and soon the rest of the group followed. Cedric arrived last and closed the door.

"Make yourself comfortable." He instructed, and transfigured a dusty old chair into a comfortable recliner for himself.

"Wow." Harry said. "Can you do that for us as well?"

"Sorry, mate. We mentors aren't supposed to do your work for you. If you want to sit in comfort, you better pay attention in your transfiguration class."

The first year cadets grumbled but to his credit, Cedric rid all the furniture of dust.

"Now as this is our first proper group meeting, you have to make an important decision: which group activities to participate in. There are many choices available. Have you all taken a look at the list?"

"What list?" Harry asked, before his owl materialized and pecked him on the cheek. "Ouch! What was that for Hedwig?"

"I told you to read the student manual."

"Ahem." Cedric interrupted and gently waved for the AI familiar to return to the digital-astral plane. He then called up a holographic list in front of Harry. "I suggest you read through them and choose your preferences. The decisions we eventually end up with will be the activities you will all be doing for the rest of the academic year. All the mentor groups in each academic year must participate, even if they no longer have mentors."

"What about you, sir?" Harry quizzed absently as he scrolled down the list. "Don't you have your own group to—"

The strained look on Cedric's face put an immediate end to Harry's question. The others in the room – even Hermione – looked at the Gryffindor as if he was a Kichilic.

"You _really_ should have read the student manual, Harry." His female friend admonished him quietly.

"It's okay." Their mentor spoke, having recovered from his earlier moment. He took a handful of deep breaths before continuing. "Cadets are supposed to be free to ask questions to their mentors. Don't blame Harry for being curious."

Cedric explained how he came to be a mentor. "Shipboard duty is difficult, especially on a high-profile fleet such as ours. Remember when the grand admiral mentioned the fallen Gryffindors? Two of them were my group mates."

A few seconds of silence passed. Then Draco softly mumbled, "Typical Gryffindors. Always charging headlong into death."

"Cadet Malfoy!" Cedric snapped. "I may have not heard that, but my AI familiar did."

A bat shimmered into existence, flapping his black wings besides his master. The creature played back Malfoy's exact voice while everyone looked sternly at the sole Slytherin in the group.

"Alright alright, I may have gone too far that time. I'm sorry, okay?"

"Very well, cadet." Their mentor drawled. "Cullen, please note that Cadet Draco Malfoy has received one demerit for disrespecting the fallen."

"Demerit noted." The bat confirmed with an ugly screeching voice before turning out of phase.

Then, as if nothing happened, Cedric turned back to Harry, maintaining a cordial smile. "The deaths of your closest friends can often trigger a breakdown. After I... recovered, I preferred not to group up with the other 'orphans', as we were called. I volunteered for mentor duty because… I don't want you to make the same mistakes we did."

After that solemn period their mentor got back on track and elaborated on the group activities. Many of them appeared to be either sports or war-game simulations. While a few advanced activities such as Quidditch, star-fighter racing and dragon riding were off-limits to first years, there were still plenty to choose from. Duelling, zero-g basketball, bridge command, debating**;** the choices were numerous and varied.

To Harry, most of the activities involving personal combat were attractive to him. Everyone expected the Gryffindors to be good in combat, and while he hadn't attended any combat magic classes yet, he was sure that duelling would help his odds of survival. "I want to do duelling."

Surprisingly, Malfoy matched his sentiments. "Duelling. Nothing else."

"You have to pick two choices." Cedric said after the others didn't object, though duelling wasn't everyone's first choice. "I recommend you choose one physical activity and one ship-based activity. How about gunnery?"

"Ick, no!" Padma said. "I heard that you have to reload the guns _manually_."

"That's part of the charm."

"No. I'd rather not." The brown-skinned girl looked at the other two women of the group and they agreed with her sentiments. "If I had the choice I'd take bridge command. We don't have to move, sweat, or even stare at our opponents directly."

Their mentor adopted a sceptical face. "Are you sure? Bridge command is a brutal pick for first years. Not many groups stick with this activity so the competitions are between all of the groups, regardless of year. The older years have the benefit of experience, expertise and theory to back their performance."

"We can catch up if we study hard!" Hermione added.

"I want... No... I must learn to command." Susan spoke out calmly, having stayed silent before. Her guarded eyes contrasted sharply against her youthful face as she appraised her group members. "Bridge command will be a challenge, but the experience will help our careers, even if we never become bridge officers."

"What about you, Neville?" Cedric turned to the only remaining member who hadn't spoken up. "Your voice matters too. Do you see yourself enjoying bridge command?"

At his mentor's encouragement, the shy boy gave a reply. "Not... not really. I'm just looking for something... less intense. We already have duelling, and bridge command is kind of the same. With spaceships instead of wands."

Draco growled at what he heard. "Oh c'mon Neville! There's a time when you just have to move on. Don't you want to take the fight to the Kichilics?"

"I'm a H-Hufflepuff. I have no interest in the war."

Cedric intervened before the argument could get out of hand. "I see we will not be able to reach a complete consensus here. Before you decide upon bridge command, let's consider the alternatives first, okay? Perhaps there's something you've missed."

Even as the older Hufflepuff presented alternative activities, they were either too strenuous, too boring or in Malfoy's eyes, beneath him. Harry himself didn't really have an interest in playing a glorified video game, preferring instead something more practical like gunnery where he could learn valuable skills in defending the ship.

In the end, the combined sway of the girls overcame the disparate preferences of the remaining men. "You boys already have duelling, so let us have something _we_ want for a change."

"Very well. Duelling and bridge command it is." Cedric noted it down on his wrist unit. "You can change your mind until midnight, but after that your choices are final. I suggest you continue to consider your choices carefully. If that is all, are there any other questions you might have concerning your studies?"

The mentor stared expressively at Harry while he said this, as if expecting him to say something stupid. The younger boy wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Good. Then I'll see you at our next scheduled date when your group activities have been assigned. Remember that you can contact me for any help you need through your familiar when you are off-duty."

Dismissed, the cadets began to file out. Before Harry and Hermione could exit the room, Draco turned around and blocked their path.

"What is it now?"

"You already have one demerit, Malfoy. Don't make me report you for your second one." Crookshanks warned as he appeared in Hermione's arms with raised hair and a poised tail.

Draco's mouth curled into a snarl. "Keep your mangy pet on a leash, freshblood."

"Then step away." Harry said as he walked forward.

The oldblood gave a brief mock bow before stepping aside. "Why certainly." Then he grabbed Harry's arm. "But first—"

The moment Draco caught his arm, the Gryffindor was reminded of Ollivander whispering those foul lies to him in the wand shop. "Get off me!" Harry grunted, and shoved the blond boy away with a sloppy push. "Don't touch me!"

Anger boiled in Draco's heart. The rage overtook him, and he pulled out his wand from his holster.

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled and stepped in between them with her palms raised outwards. "I've got Crookshanks ready to send the entire recording to Professor Dumbledore. You _don't_ want him to witness your actions, Draco. Regulations state that any hostile magic cast unprovoked to another member of the service will merit an immediate court martial and—"

"Yes yes, that's quite enough already freshblood. I know the rules." Malfoy spat out bitterly while throwing his wand right back in its holster. "Just stay out my way and don't mess up when we compete in the group activities."

The oldblood left them alone. For now.

"Isn't there anything you haven't read?"

"Don't even get started on that." Hermione responded in exasperation, dragging Harry out. "Come on, after dinner we have the rest of the day off. I want to show you the library."

"To do what?"

"So you can read the student manual, silly. The hardcopy version. You simply_have_ to take a look at it, it's signed by Admiral Dumbledore himself!"

"Fun."

* * *

Harry attended the other classes for his year the very next day. With his head still filled with tons of facts from the student handbook, he streamed into the combat magic class with only half his mind awake. Absently he noted that the classroom had no desks. Instead it looked oddly like a training room.

A black man apparated into the classroom with a crack so loud that it shook the tired boy awake. The impressive magician crossed his arms and looked imposingly at the sorry gathering of first years. "Gryffindors. Welcome to your combat magic class. I am Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Awed whispers spread out amongst the crowd as they wondered what a fabled Auror was doing on the Hogwarts fleet.

"I did not volunteer for this duty." He assured them. "But the service has deemed it necessary that I take up 'light duties'. So here I am. Do not misunderstand me either, cadets. I will not be complacent. I was tasked with teaching you how to apply the magic you've learned in your other classes in a variety of personal combat situations, enough to defend yourself against the most common enemies of mankind. We will train as long as I deem it necessary in order to insure that you have a _fighting_ chance against the aliens that assail our forces."

Harry took Auror —or was it Professor? — Shacklebolt's words seriously. A couple of boys didn't share his esteem for the auror. They chuckled and bantered while the veteran explained the class structure.

"Cadet Finnigan! Cadet Thomas! Step forward."

Now under the attention of the entire class, Seamus and Dean didn't appear so confident.

"So you think this class will be easy for you, boys? Well, by all means, impress us with your power. Fight each other until first blood is drawn!"

The two magician cadets sent Kingsley a puzzled look. Dean opened his mouth to say, "But sir, we've only learned one spell so far, how in the universe would we be able to duel each other?"

"Yeah, what he said, sir." Seamus added. "You can't expect us to—"

In the blink of an eye, Professor Shacklebolt pulled out his cyberwand and released a powerful concussive wave that blasted both of the boys off their feet.

The Auror pointed a thick finger at them both. "Dead. Dead. Both of you dead!" He turned his angry eyes to the rest of the class. "Can anyone of you explain why they are dead?"

Coincidentally, Harry had actually managed to remember this part of the student manual. He was the first to raise his hand and the Auror nodded for him to speak.

"They questioned your orders, sir."

"Exactly, Cadet Potter. The _Godric Gryffindor_ is a military battleship crewed by both mundane and magical spacers. She is tasked to protect the Hogwarts Training Fleet and in many cases she has fulfilled her duty admirably. But adversity can take many forms, and a single moment of carelessness can lead to the death of yourself or the ones you are responsible for. This is not acceptable. You have all been drafted into military service and I expect that each of you will do your utmost to further your combat skills and conduct yourself with full military discipline during this class. Do I make myself CLEAR?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

Kingsley frowned at the response. "This is not some mundane war drama and I am not a mundane drill sergeant. The correct response is simply 'Yes, sir.' Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Very well, let us continue. When I gave Cadets Thomas and Finnigan a command, what else did they do wrong besides questioning my orders?"

"They interpreted it wrongly, sir." Parvati answered. "They assumed you wanted them to duel, but your instructions did not restrict them in that manner."

"Correct, Cadet Patil. I said 'fight', not 'duel'. In combat situations, orders are direct and to the point. Commanders cannot spend precious seconds figuring out how to word their commands like Slytherins. It is up to YOU to interpret the commands you receive in the correct form and act in accordance to them in an appropriate manner. Now there is one more mistake our two young cadets have made. What is it?"

No one figured out the answer.

"What a lack of creativity. Aren't you supposed to be Gryffindors?"

"Yes—" "Well—" "Err…"

"Don't even answer that." Kingsley said and palmed his face. "Look, I am well aware of your class schedule. I know you had transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. I know you have practiced how to transform a fork into a knife. Even that single, circumstantial spell can save your life if you use it in the right situation. Cadet Weasley!"

"Y-Yes sir!" The ginger responded with fright.

Kingsley put his free hand into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a table fork. A metal table fork. "You are stranded on a jungle planet and you have exhausted virtually all of your magic collecting water. An alien suddenly pops into your path, armed with a kinetic assault rifle that shoots out fork-shaped projectiles. He fires. How do you respond? If you let the projectile hit your body, you die. If you transfigure it into a knife, you also die. So how do you respond?"

"I-I-I... err... maybe I could..."

The professor did something Harry absolutely couldn't believe. The man whipped back the fork and threw it in a direct path towards Ron's head!

"AAAHh!" The targeted boy screamed out, but somehow managed to whip out his wand and cast something before the fork hit him. "Ouch!"

A large spoon dropped to the floor. Ron nursed the bump growing on his forehead as he tried to rein in his curses.

"I know," Shacklebolt started. "That Cadet Weasley failed to transfigure his fork in class. I know that he spent many hours thereafter practicing the transfiguration until he could turn the fork into any utensil and back again and then into spoons to ensure that he'd mastered the spell. I also know that Cadet Potter bought a self-healing module on his visit to Diagon Secundus. These modules allow users to secrete some of their healing fluid from the cuffs of their uniforms. Cadet Potter, why don't you assist your shipmate?"

"Yes… sir."

The professor rounded the demonstration up. "I have two final points to make here. The spells that you learn in _every_ class can be adapted to benefit your situation, no matter how circumstantial they may seem. Secondly, I know everything there is to know about you. I have constructed a performance profile of each and every one of you and in this class I will push you to the limits of your ability in the hope that you will exceed them. Mark my words, there will come a time when my lessons save your life."

Shacklebolt then promptly conjured up a thankfully soft plastic fork for half of the students. "Gryffindors, pair up. One utensil for each pair. I want you to throw your fork at each other until you are all capable of transfiguring your projectile into a harmless shape."

One of the students raised his hand. "Sir? I haven't managed to transfigure anything yet so far."

"Then you should have practiced more like Cadet Weasley! The Hogwarts Training Fleet is one of the finest magical training institutions of the Empire, and I expect all of you to keep up with your studies. Now practice!"

As the pairs began to fumble around with their synthetic forks, Harry noticed that he and Ron had been left without a utensil. "Sir? Can we have a fork as well?"

The professor raised his eyebrow, then flicked his wand. The metal spoon before Ron's feet changed into the familiar shape of a fork, which also happened to retain its metal composition.

"There's your fork, cadet. Get to work."

* * *

The first year Gryffindors were practically crawling out of the training room by the end of the lesson. Professor Shacklebolt had worked each of the students ruthlessly, especially Harry and Ron; who'd had to absorb more impacts than most of the other students from their spoon.

"That Auror is a slave driver!" Ron complained as they made their way to their charms classroom.

"Really? I thought he mellowed out a bit in the second half. He didn't seem to yell as much."

Despite the demanding pace, Harry had actually found himself enjoying combat magic. He didn't need to read stuffy old e-books. Professor Shacklebolt just expected him to follow orders, use his imagination and practice until he dropped. From the previous lesson alone, Harry now felt pretty confident that he could turn any small object thrown at him into a spoon. _'Though I still can't change the material into anything lighter.' _He'd had to use a significant proportion of his healing fluids to take care of both of their bruises.

Once everyone had entered the classroom, a professor apparated right atop the desk. Unlike Shacklebolt, the goblin minimized his excess magic, only announcing his arrival with a quiet pop. As the creature hopped forward on the desk, he bowed and introduced himself. "Ah, I see you are all in attendance. Welcome, Gryffindors. I am Captain Filius Flitwick, your Professor of Charms. My brother has told me all about you. He mentioned that your class is quite well-behaved. I trust that you shall keep that way?"

The professor had a cheery attitude about him that contrasted strongly against that of their previous professor. Much like Cyril, Filius charmed his way into the students' hearts with his occasional humour and engaging stories. Still, even he had his serious moments.

"While charms may sometimes seem to achieve the same affects as transfiguration, they are not the same. You shall get to know the differences extensively in your coursework. My apologies for assigning you such an old textbook, but I find the classics are quite worthwhile."

Everyone chuckled a little.

"For brevity's sake, I will only spell out the most important reason why you should take this class seriously. Simply put, charms form the basis of all essential ship-based magic. Charms allow us to propel kinetic shells at a significant fraction of the speed of light. They can reduce the mass of the entire vessel, allowing it to escape from battle quicker with its heightened thrust-to-mass ratio."

The small professor waddled from side to side as he went on. "Charms even form one of the fundamentals of ship-based apparition. Surely you didn't think that the enormous _Helga Hufflepuff_ could squeeze through an apparition window created by a single wizard, did you? In truth, every apparition-worthy starship has a skeletal structure made out of dragon bone and other, more classified materials. Knowing the complete composition of the structure could get you assassinated by the IIS."

"All of this has a purpose." Professor Flitwick stopped and pretended to squeeze a ball with his hands. "The skeletal structure allows the captain to trigger a built-in shrinking charm just before the moment of apparition, squeezing a spaceship's enormous volume into the size of a quidditch bludger. The shrinking lasts only a few milliseconds at best, but it is more than enough for the miniature starship to appear at the other side of the wormhole, where the charm rapidly disperses and let the ship turns back to its original size. Coincidentally, this rapid change also happens to be the cause of nausea amongst many first time travellers."

Some of the students laughed, some good heartedly, some aimed at Harry. _'Are they ever going to let that go?'_

"Without ship-based apparition and charms, we magicians would be largely redundant in the eyes of the Empress. Charms form one of our most direct contributions to the security of the Empire and the essential functioning of all of her starships. Sure, some might argue that we magicians have more in our bag of tricks, but the cold hard truth is that mundanes can surpass those modest accomplishments, if given the chance. Charms form what the mundanes consider to be our raison d'être."

The professor then crossed his small arms behind his back and leaned forward, as if sharing a secret with the class. "For make no mistake, if the mundanes thought they didn't need us anymore, they would not hesitate in hunting us down and wiping us out. Just like the other aliens."

* * *

**End Notes:** I have a bad memory. At least when it concerns reading and writing fiction. I read a lot of fanfics almost every day and a bunch of novels on the side when I am in the mood. This means that I am pretty much burst to capacity concerning all of the characters and storylines that I have to catch up with. For an author, this can be a disadvantage. I read the Harry Potter books probably about five years ago and I hardly remember any detail. The only elements that stick with you long after you read a story are the most defined characters, the most dramatic story events, and if the story is really good, the overall mood and atmosphere.

Concretely, that means I can't write any story that follows canon closely worth a damn. When you remember only broad strokes, you can't really recreate all of those small precise moments in the books. Now, I'm not as crazy as some authors and write my fic with one of the seven books open at all times, so I simply choose another solution: write something other than canon. That is why every story that I have ever read has tended to stray as far away from canon as possible. For readers who want to read something new and refreshing, they've come to the right place. But those who really care about the integrity of the original characters and storyline and cringe when their memories clash with my original (and OOC) interpretation, that can be a problem. In the end though, I'm not satisfied in reading the same tired and written-to-death material.


	5. I: The First Combat Action

July 6, 2012  
Proofread on November 12, 2012  
Proofread by **Queen of Loopholes [303563]**  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** One of the usual problems concerning proof readers is that they have a tendency to drop off the face of the Earth. I have written out chapters five to seven out roughly a month ago and my proof reader still hasn't come back. In fact, she hasn't sent me an e-mail or anything else. Oh well. I suppose you readers will have to suffer the indignity of style, fluency and grammar errors. Would any of you like to volunteer to be my new beta reader?

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_The First Combat Action_

* * *

Sometime into their first week of classes, the Hogwarts Training Fleet had completed its resupply. Scuttlebutt has it that Fleet Headquarters tasked the fleet to investigate a newly discovered race in the latter stages of their industrial revolution somewhere down the Orion arm of the galaxy. The astrogators over at the _Rowena Ravenclaw_ plotted a series of jump points that would hopefully deliver the fleet at their destination in eight apparitions.

This would be Harry's second apparition jump, and his first one on a ship as big as the _Godric Gryffindor_. The jump from the Sol System to the Diagon System aboard the Hogwarts Express hardly constituted a happy memory. This time, Harry wanted to see the jump in action.

The entire fleet prepared for the jump. The four ships of the fleet spread out in a defensive formation that allowed the _Godric Gryffindor_ to cover most angles while staying in a position to shield the other three fleets from a surprise attack. Every crewmen, cadet, graduates, and mundanes alike took their stations as the ship went into yellow alert. Magician cadets throughout the ship manned the shield nodes, which amplified and enlarged the shield charms that they cast. The primary and secondary gun turrets woke out of their dormant positions and stood by to eject their lethal payload whenever necessary.

A sense of both excitement and dread ran throughout the _Godric_. A new mission meant new dangers and new discoveries. The fleet headquarters never held back the Hogwarts Training Fleet. Its powerful vessels and numerous magicians meant that having it fly around in safer waters was a huge waste of investment. Headquarters sent the training fleet out into the unknown because time and time again, Hogwarts proved itself capable of stepping up to the challenge.

As a new first year cadet, Harry had no station to man in times of fleet activity. As far as the rest of the ship was concerned, the first years were hardly better than civilians. And everyone – even Harry – knew that having civilians run amok during critical events was a disaster in waiting. That meant that every first year had to stay put in their dorm room with their suits in full protective mode while the fleet prepared to jump.

"Hey Harry, are you really sure you want to stand so close to the viewport?" Ron asked from the other side of the dorm where most of the other cadets had moved their seats and strapped themselves securely. "You know you can have your familiar call up a sensor feed, right?"

"I'm fine, Ron. I just want to see the stars in person with my own two eyes."

"It's your loss."

Hedwig appeared from whatever domain she originated from and flapped her wings softly until she landed on Harry's outstretched arm. The boy held her close and stroked her feathered head.

"This is going to be your first apparition, Hedwig."

"My second, actually." The owl cocked her head. "I was on the Hogwarts Express as well, you know?"

"Yeah…but not as a living animal."

"Technically, I'm not a living animal. I am a digital-arcane construct anchored to the material universe through classified means."

"You know I don't understand any of what you just said."

"Exactly."

Talking with his familiar could be a little exasperating, Harry admitted, but he never tired of her. "By the way, can you send a message to Alexia? I wonder how she's coping now that I'm out of house."

"I'm sorry, Harry. Fleet regulations prohibit outbound communications through the Galactic Net. We are only allowed to receive one inbound message and reply to it every half year, but this privilege is rescinded during wartime."

He knew something like that might be in effect but hadn't really realized it until now. "It's hard…hard for me to adjust. One moment I feel like I'm in boot camp, the next I feel like being coddled. I don't know anything about magic or starships."

"It's natural to feel confused." Hedwig comforted him. "To be honest, I'm rather baffled at the haphazard organization of the training fleet. For a fleet that is exposed to foreign threats every year, it should have been escorted by a flotilla of escort ships. Having just one large battleship defend three capital ships is too much."

"You're kind of different."

Hedwig preened. "Of course! I'm based on a Paragon model, after all. I've talked with Scabbers and the other AI familiars when you're off gallivanting in class. Most of the other familiars are based on AI companions developed for space action. They can calculate projectile trajectories and help out in other combat situations while I'm designed to stimulate your mental development and reinforce your upbringing."

"Perhaps I'm in the wrong House. With your help, I might have done better in Ravenclaw."

"Nonsense." His familiar responded and lightly pecked his hand. "As far as I'm concerned, you've got a leg up. Now shut up, the countdown is about to start."

A small holo of the bridge beamed in the dorm. Captain McGonagall sat regally on her seat overlooking a starmap. As soon as she finished inputting some commands in her tablet she addressed the ship.

"Gryffindors, today marks our first apparition jump for this academic year. We shall be jumping to the Harkan System, which is still deep inside Empire territory. Our clairvoyants have not predicted any pleasantries during and after this jump, but it does not hurt to be prepared. We shall be apparating to our destinations with our shield charms online at full strength in all directions. The ship will only stand down after the jump by my express order and nothing else. McGonagall, out."

A light flashed outside the ship. Harry peered outside of the viewport to see a faint transparent white glow distorting the star scape. _'So this is a shield charm.' _Some cadets would be sitting at reinforced emplacements all along the hull putting their cyberwands into a slot that connected it to a projector. _'I wonder who's responsible for protecting this segment of the hull.'_

The numbers grew smaller until it reached single digits. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

This time Harry was ready. He braced himself in the correct position with his arms crossed over his chest. He still held open his eyes though, determined to see the star pattern change.

Then it happened. One moment the fleet orbited the second planet of the Diagon star, the next they appeared at a completely new system so many light years away that the entire star scape changed. They had arrived in another solar system.

While the shield charm still glowed strong in case they encountered any dangers, Harry brushed aside the risks and pressed his face against the viewscreen, staring fascinatingly at their new surroundings. The fleet had jumped away from any planets in order to avoid a collision, but Harry was still able to see the faint glow of the star. Unlike Diagon's white dwarf, this one glowed orange.

"Wow."

* * *

After the jump, the excitement quickly passed. Yet the next day was special, because unlike on other school days, Harry didn't have to attend any classes nor participate in 'mandatory group activities'. Instead, he along with the other first year Gryffindors would be fulfilling an important post in the fleet.

Ship duty.

The schedule instructed the students to assemble at a large chamber somewhere in the bow of the _Godric Gryffindor_ at the start of the morning shift. Most of the boys were understandably excited about having a chance to crew the ship. Would they be practising gunnery? Stand watch on the bridge? Simulate an attack at the CIC? The girls watched in bemusement as Ron, Dean, and others started to speculate wildly on what they would do on this shift.

Even Harry, who had no expectations, found himself caught up in the discussion. He didn't really know how much help he could be when he hardly knew any magic, but he started to look forward in making himself prove useful.

"Good morning cadets." Captain McGonagall greeted them as she entered the large and empty spherical chamber. "I see you are all on time again. Good. Now let us get started with your first ship duty session."

She retrieved her wand and called up a large schematic of the _Godric Gryffindor_. The professor then flicked a setting that showed a real-time overview of all of the personnel on the ships. There were more than a thousand dots spread throughout the ship. Most of them were blue, but a significant portion of them glowed red.

"As part of the training fleet, the _Gryffindor_ is a battleship primarily designed to be crewed by the magician cadets on board, though professional mundanes perform many other less important tasks. Many older cadets perform vital functions as part of their training, with seventh years occupying vital functions such as sensors, target acquisition or even the helm. While each department except for medical is headed by an experienced magical officer, virtually all of the posts requiring magicals are occupied by cadets such as you."

Then McGonagall proceeded to crush their dreams. "Unfortunately, as barely trained cadets you are all highly unsuitable to bear any positions of responsibility. During your first year on this fleet, you will _not _occupy any posts of any importance until you achieve basic certifications which prove that you will not be a burden on this ship."

The news came at a blow to the eager boys. _'So that's why the older years were so tight-lipped about this.'_ Harry thought.

A girl raised her hand. "Ma'am? What kind of certifications do we need to earn?"

"Good question." McGonagall then raised her hand in a similar way Professor Cyril did when he purged the ghost. "_Godric_, execute the evacuation simulator app with the following parameters: noncombat disaster; difficulty level 1."

Their empty surroundings then changed from an empty chamber to what looked like the mess hall of the battleship. The only problem was that the alarm was ringing and a fire had erupted from the kitchen and quickly spread out into the rest of the hall.

"This magiholo simulation chamber can recreate a lifelike environment of not only the _Godric Gryffindor_, but also the other ships in the fleet. For the next month, you shall _all_ be acquainted with the layout and the best escape routes of those ships. Our ships are designed that it would take no more than five minutes of running to reach the nearest escape pod. It shall be my task to train you on how to achieve this in varying conditions, from reactor shutdowns to hostile boarding situations. I will be riding you hard on this cadets, but your safety is of utmost importance."

That was the start of Harry's hell. He should have known that the training fleet wouldn't allow a bunch of noobs to be put in control of the ship immediately. _'This is just like basic training and orientation all over again.'_

Throughout the rest of the coming shifts where the first year cadets were on ship duty, they were drilling constantly in evacuation and basic damage control such as activating the sprinklers to put out fires or closing hatches to stave off decompression.

The captain started with simple simulations at first, such as a lone fire or a simple missile impact. Once the cadets started to become accustomed with the overall layouts of all of the four ships, she ramped up the amount of obstacles that were strewn in their way. Some compartments would have their artificial gravity shut off, necessitating the use of magnetized boots, which were a pain to walk with. Other simulations would have alien invaders flooding almost every part of the ship, forcing the cadets to use ingenious routes to evade detection and capture. Then the captain piled on more drills where certain magician cadets would be trapped, and it was the task of others to free them and guide them to safety.

Surprisingly, the oldbloods adjusted to this harsh regime of drilling much better than most. Even though they were the most enthusiastic about crewing exciting functions, they didn't complain as much as those with little experience in space travel.

"We have an old expression." Ron said, and then lowered his voice in imitation of his father. "_Son, the first thing you learn when you step aboard a ship is how to get off it."_

The experience wasn't completely unpleasant, however. Harry always felt a sense of accomplishment when they rescued more trapped survivors than the required quota, or reach the escape pods half a minute before the others.

He also got to know the ships of the fleet more intimately. He learned that the _Godric Gryffindor_ shrugged off weapon impacts that could crack the fragile _Rowena Ravenclaw_ in half. He found out that cadets aboard the Slytherin slept in their own private cabins. _'Pampered snobs.'_ He even bumped into a sleeping dragon hidden deep within the _Helga Hufflepuff_.

"Oh I know why they have it." Parvati said when Harry wondered about it aloud. "It continually sheds scales that we use for minor repairs, and in an emergency we can slay it and use its powerful blood and bones to replace damaged parts of our ship."

"Then why do we keep it alive? Isn't it more convenient to stockpile the components themselves?"

"Why would we do that, silly? Would you want eat a steak that has been frozen for a year? It's the same with magical animal components. The fresher, the better."

Somehow Harry couldn't help but feel a little bad for the dragon.

* * *

It took some time after their initial group meeting before their first scheduled 'mandatory group activity' came up. Due to scheduling constraints, mentor groups did one activity in the first half of the year and the other at the other half. _'At least I can do something else than mindless drills and routine classes.'_ Harry had to admit he was looking forward for their first duelling session, even if he doubted it could surpass his combat magic class. _'Professor Shacklebolt is a good trainer.'_

"Hi Harry."

"Hi."

The Gryffindor joined his group in some kind of assembly room in the Hogwarts castle. A few other groups who opted to choose duelling for the first time had appeared, including some older year groups though they were few and far in between.

The instructor sure took his time to arrive, but when he did, everyone took note. The double doors slammed open, allowing entry to a tall and sharp-faced man with a billowing black cloak. The imperious man practically floated his way to the duelling arena in the centre of the chamber. He reached one end of the long rectangular stretch and beheld his students with cool, appraising eyes.

"Magicians…" The man started, then curled his mouth in disgust. "Or shall we say wizards and witches. Your mentor groups have chosen to partake in duelling for the first time. Whether you prove worthy in my eyes remains to be seen."

The man folded his arms behind his back and began to trek down the length of the duelling strip. "Some of you may have already attended my magical pharmacy class. To those who have the ignominy to be sorted into Gryffindor, you may refer to me as sir, Professor Snape, or Captain Snape. Anything else will earn you a demerit. For your information, I am also the captain of the _Salazar Slytherin_."

Snape spoke as if the captaincy was just an afterthought, which it wasn't, Harry thought. For some reason, he felt the professor addressed him specifically. The occasional times when Snape swept his gaze in Harry's direction also didn't help. Draco meanwhile grinned his ears off. _'Figures. Oldbloods attract other oldbloods like flies.'_

"I assume that most of you come from a long tradition of wizards and witches who have all instilled the appropriate traditions to you during your upbringing. But for those who are less fortunate, I shall dedicate this introductory session in enlightening you all." The professor stopped in his pacing and addressed the crowd. "Who amongst you can define the duel?"

Plenty of hands rose up. Snape turned slowly around him, assessing the students who were willing to answer, before stopping almost directly in front of Harry, who unsurprisingly didn't volunteer. _'Please don't pick me.'_

"Cadet Malfoy, would you care to try?"

"Yes, Professor Snape."

The other magician cadets lowered their hands and turned their eyes towards Draco, who positively appeared to relish the attention. "In a duel, one magician fights another using magic but nothing else to win."

The professor nodded minutely. "An adequate definition. To clarify, a wizard's duel is an ancient tradition that describes a combat encounter between two wizards using only magic to force their opponent's submission. There are several important components in this definition. First,"

Snape drew out his wand in an exaggerated fashion and cast some sort of command that made two holograms of generic magicians appear on the duelling arena.

"The duel is a combat encounter between two wizards. Not one wizard and one mundane, or one wizard against one alien, but only two wizards – no more, no less. The wizard's duel is the exclusive preserve of us 'magicians' that no other race can corrupt. It is one of our society's last unchanged traditions, and therefore our noblest."

The figures then appeared to come alive. Both of them bowed to each other and spoke words that carried no sound. Then they clashed, the first figure firing a spell, which the other dodged with ease. On and on they sparred, moving very little, instead focusing on either offense or blocking and countering.

The professor continued on. "The duel is the sole preserve of wizards because for the very simple reason that only _we_ can utilize magic. And in respect for magic's overwhelming superiority, duellists will use nothing else to defeat their opponents. This is not a combat magic class where you hurl forks at your enemies like some primitive mundane."

Harry found this group activity to be less appealing by the minute. _'What does the professor have against Gryffindors?'_

"No, in duelling, you win by finesse, guile, and mastery over your spells. The rules are not meant to limit you. Instead they are intended to liberate your mind. Any brute can overwhelm an opponent by sheer ferocity. But such single-mindedness leaves him open to a counterattack, where a simple low-powered spell such as _Expelliarmus_ can seal his fate."

To hammer in his point, the offensive hologram hammered the defensive wizard's shields relentlessly. Then the defender abandoned his position and rolled to the side. As spells harmlessly flew past his side, he stopped and aimed a precise spell at the recovering opponent, slinging his cyberwand away.

"The final part of the duel is the submission. In ancient times, that always means death." The victorious wizard let loose a cutting spell that decapitated the defeated opponent. The hazy holograms then fizzled out. "Naturally, such practices will not be observed in my duelling society. Strong limits will be placed on lethal or other brutal spells. Again, do not consider this as a limitation. With the right strategy, any disadvantage can be overcome. Whereas combat magic teaches you to win at all costs, duelling will inspire you to accomplish your goals with the least amount of effort. For that is the essence of finesse."

A lot of green-garbed cadets nodded their heads in agreement. "In order to illustrate these lessons, let's have a demonstration, shall we?"

The professor's grin practically looked demonic as he surveyed the crowd. Harry felt slightly relieved when Snape picked someone from the opposite side of the arena.

"Cadet Greengrass, please step forward at take your place at the duelling arena."

A first year Slytherin parted from the crowd and strutted onto the platform. Her confident smile and the practised manner in which she took up a duelling position positively screamed oldblood.

"Young Miss Greengrass here is a fine example of a young budding dueller. Even before she obtained her wand, she partook in simulated duelling and has in fact won the youth cup in duelling. She is, arguably, the finest dueller amongst the first year cadets. Now let's see, who shall be her opponent…"

The professor deliberately turned and gazed at each participant, which only prolonged the agony. Then he stopped, right in Harry's direction. The boy briefly wondered if Snape was going to call up Draco, but then—

"Cadet Potter. You will do. Now come forward."

Groaning, Harry went forward while Snape walked to the middle of the strip.

"Mister Potter here is new to magic, but has already proven to excel in his combat magic class. Let us see whether his raw talent can match the finely honed experience of Cadet Greengrass."

'_How the hell is this supposed to be fair? She probably took the same combat magic classes that I had and probably has thousands of simulation hours under her belt.'_

None of that mattered in Snape's perspective however. The Professor looked severely at the two duellists before stepping aside. "Begin."

Harry immediately let the instincts he learned from Professor Shacklebolt take over and prepared his wand to—

"Ouch!" He let out as Snape sent out a sharp spell that stung his hands. Most of the attendants laughed at the sights while the rest of his mentor group suffered in silence at their group mate's humiliation.

"Haven't you been listening, Cadet _Potter_?" The greasy-haired man growled and gestured angrily. "You must observe the proper decorum. Now bow."

Gritting his teeth, Harry followed along with the pomp with a jerky bow. Cadet Greengrass on the other hand moved like a ballerina, lowering her body elegantly while flourishing her arms. The contrast couldn't be any greater.

"Commence the duel."

'_Finally.'_ Harry thought, and shot a basic laughing jinx at his opponent.

Smirking, Greengrass dodged the spell with contemptuous ease, and sidestepped Harry's next spell. When Harry noticed his probes weren't having any effect, he tried to transfigure a chunk of the arena panelling into iron, only to find out it didn't work!

"Unfortunately, Mister Potter, you cannot use the environment to your advantage." Snape lectured as Harry desperately tried to shield the hexes that came at his direction. "Too many wizards resort to erecting the ground to shield themselves against spells. This is a wasteful and time-consuming distraction. It takes dedication to recognize when to dodge, when to cast a shield charm, and which type of shield charm you should erect."

Predictably, Harry didn't last very long. The basic spells in his repertoire were either too slow in casting or too weak to punch through Greengrass' shield. Just as Harry tried to cast another _Expelliarmus_, the girl beat him by a quarter of a second with the same spell, causing his holly-and-phoenix wand to fly out of his hand.

He had been completely defeated.

The youth champion slithered her way to her opponent and waited expectantly. "Submit, Cadet Potter."

Having no other choice, Harry fell to his knees and turned down his head. Greengrass lowered her thin pale wand and used the tip to tilt Harry's chin until his eyes faced hers. The boy really didn't want to hear what the prissy duellist had to say.

Not that she cared. "You'll need a hundred years more practice until you can defeat me, you oafish Gryffindor."

Snape shooed Harry off the stage with an unceremonious push. "Let this be a lesson to you all. Sheer power and volume may allow you to overwhelm alien filth, but against a refined wizard you might as well be throwing rocks. Your combat magic classes may emphasize raw power, but in this society you must actually _think_ and employ a strategy to defeat your adversaries."

"Great going, you idiot." Draco whispered as Harry returned to his mentor group. Padma and Susan didn't say anything, but their accusing eyes told enough. Only Neville and Hermione had any sympathy for him.

To add to Harry's embarrassment, Professor Snape called up a new set of holograms, playing back the earlier duel. "Cadet Potter's fatal mistakes are numerous. First, he was in the wrong stance, causing him to lose his balance whenever he dodged forwards or backwards. Second, his choice of spells is one-dimensional and predictable. Third, he wasted valuable time by pushing more power into his spell than needed, allowing him to be overtaken by his much more skilled opponent."

The recording reached the part where Harry lowered himself in defeat.

"Remember that that duelling is an art of finesse. Under my instruction, I shall teach you all to duel as skilfully as Cadet Greengrass. Provided you prove yourself worthy."

As the professor continued to berate Harry's sloppy performance, the boy in question seriously regretted choosing duelling. _'I should have pushed for something like zero-g basketball. I bet pompous oldbloods like Professor Snape hate that sort of mundane sports.'_

* * *

Harry didn't know whether to feel happy or frustrated. On one hand, he had a great time in his classes, easily keeping up with both transfiguration and charms while excelling in combat magic. On the other hand, duelling was torture for him, especially since Harry had turned into Professor Snape's favourite Gryffindor punching bag. Ship duty was also far from what he had initially hoped for, as Harry had yet to perform any actual duties on the ship.

'_It's always simulations, as if we can't be trusted to open a hatch by ourselves.'_

During this moment of intense training and instruction, the Hogwarts Training Fleet had finally arrived to their destination. The _Salazar Slytherin_ arrived first in the Concord System and spent half a day cruising under stealth and observing the local environment. When she signalled back to the rest of the fleet through floo that no hostile ships were in the system, the rest of the fleet arrived and took up positions up in high orbit of the fifth and only habitable planet of the system.

All activities were cancelled while the diplomats aboard the _Slytherin_ took a shuttle down-planet to greet the primitive aliens of Concord Quintus. While the cadets still had to attend regular classes, outside of that they were either on ship duty or off-duty. Captain McGonagall accelerated the first year cadets' drilling by moving ahead to basic damage control, where they learned to use mundane tools such as fire extinguishers or first aid modules to assist the crew in an event of battle damage. The relentless pace she set in their training pushed everyone almost to exhaustion.

"Do you know what the Slytherins are up to down-planet?" Harry asked Hermione through a video link via their familiars. As long as the Hogwarts ships stayed in close formation, inter-ship communications was allowed.

"You'll have to ask Draco for that. I've only been studying the species and the star system. Did you know that Concord is a binary star system? It's got a red dwarf and an orange sub-giant orbiting around each other. The sub-giant is particularly responsible for the abundant amount of minerals and planets in this system. The Empire would _love_ to own this system."

"So you think the Slytherins are asking for mining rights or something?"

"Probably, though I don't really know why. There are plenty of uninhabited star systems in the Orion arm. The native species must have something else worth bargaining for if the Empire wanted the Hogwarts Training Fleet to head the negotiations."

The two discussed extensively about the Concord System. Hermione described the natives, appearing as some kind of four-legged birds the size of large dogs. They had only recently spread their industrial revolution to the rest of the planet, using steam power for mass production while unaware of all of the pollution they pumped into the air. Despite their industry, they appeared to be a very artistic species.

"They've got the loveliest songs. Here, I'll play a clip."

The screeching that blared from his speakers disturbed the other cadets lounging on their bunks. "Hey, turn down that racket! It ain't anyone's funeral yet!"

"Sorry!" Harry said and ended the feed. "I hope you seriously don't fancy all of this noise."

"You're not listening to it properly, Harry. There's a mathematical pattern that—"

The boy held up his hand, stopping the young girl in her tracks. "I'm not a Ravenclaw, remember?"

"Oh, I forget sometimes." She smiled sheepishly. "Everyone here is always so excited about everything that it becomes so easy to take it for granted."

Then the feed cut off. "Hermione? Are you still there?"

The reason for the shutdown became apparent a moment later when the alarms bleared from invisible speakers.

"It's the red alert!" Ron shouted, and put down his tablet playing back an old Quidditch match. "C'mon Harry, we have to get to our stations."

"Damage control?" Harry mumbled, almost tripping over his feet as he raced out of the dorms. "But we've never done anything outside of simulations!"

The first year cadets quickly split up into smaller groups, each heading towards their assigned damage control posts. Harry, Ron and another pair of girls reached a section of the ship where emergency supplies were located. In an event of battle damage, they were tasked with supplying fire suppressants and other vital equipment to affected locations and let the more experienced crew on-site handle the emergencies.

"Oh don't worry," Ron started as he and everyone else pulled on the combat augments over his uniform. The augments made them slower and heavier, but allowed them to absorb much greater damage than their uniforms could provide alone. "I doubt those stupid birds can do anything to hurt us. The only weapons they have are primitive explosives and poisonous bullets, and there's no way they can fire anything through their atmosphere."

"I know. But why do we need to put the _Godric Gryffindor_ on full alert if there's no threat?"

"Don't know, mate, but I'm sure the Captain will tell us soon."

A few minutes later, a holographic feed appeared in their midst. The Captain sat regally as ever on her seat, but this time her expression was hard. "Ladies and gentlemen, as of now we are at a state of war against the native avian species inhabiting Concord Quintus. Their local politicians have not reacted well to the demands of Captain Snape, and have lashed out violently against him and his entire retinue, necessitating an emergency apparition back to the _Salazar_."

'_The greasy git probably deserved it.'_ Harry thought. How could such a condescending and alien-hating magician manage to obtain the captaincy of the _Salazar Slytherin_ in the first place?

But Professor McGonagall wasn't done. "In accordance with navy protocols, a direct and unprovoked assault will be answered with immediate and overwhelming force. Grand Admiral Dumbledore has therefore tasked the _Godric Gryffindor_ to engage in planetary bombardment."

'_Say what? Planetary bombardment?!'_

"Twelve major population centres have just been designated by the _Rowena Ravenclaw_ as optimal targets. It is our hope that the native race will reconsider their policy once we have shown our resolve by taking the lives of five percent of their total projected population. One percent for each delegate attacked. May the Empress have mercy on them. McGonagall, out."

The mighty ship rumbled slightly as it rotated along her axis to present her forward torpedo tubes towards the terrestrial planet. Some minutes later the nuclear torpedoes were magically enhanced and armed. Harry watched in horror through Hedwig's video feed as the _Godric_ launched the heavy projectiles towards the defenceless surface of the planet.

This was not how Harry had imagined his first combat action.

One of the female cadets giggled as the torpedoes spread out and punched through the atmosphere. "I hope those alien bastards know not to mess around with the Empire after this."

"Yeah." Ron concurred. "We got to teach them a lesson on who's boss."

"Ron! Don't you see anything wrong with this picture?" Harry said, with more than a little distress in his voice. "This is _wrong_!"

His friend was not amused. "You must not have been watching a lot of cartoons. You can't treat aliens the same way as other humans. They're lying, ugly creatures who are just as willing to wipe us out as the Kichilics if they had the chance. We're just conquering them first so they never get the chance. It's… what do they call it…survival of the fattest?"

"Fittest, you dweeb." One of the girls supplied. "Survival of the fittest."

"Yeah, and we're the fittest, so we can do everything we want. Besides, we need the resources and territory to make up for the losses against the Kichilics. I don't see why we have to waste time sitting around drinking tea with every stupid new race."

Harry couldn't reconcile his opinion with the rest and kept himself quiet. As the footage of the first supernukes played out, the boy gripped his wand in terror. Sure, he might not have liked their music, but the natives didn't appear to be any threat to the Empire. The planetary bombardment was just mass slaughter.

Each of the five nukes burned as bright as a phoenix's flame. The young cadet couldn't help but think back on that day, when Ollivander warned him of…of what? The curse of his magic? The hidden face of the Empire?

"Hey," Ron said softly as he put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I know it's shocking for you to witness the first few subjugations, but you'll quickly get used to it. The navy does this all the time. Sooner or later one alien will look just like the next, and you won't care so much for them anymore. C'mon, the captain will put the _Godric_ back in yellow alert soon. Do you wanna grab some ice cream?"

Harry was incredibly wrong. He had imagined the wand-maker to be spinning a fantastical tale. There was no reason why the Red Empress would condone something as brutal as torture. Now though, Harry felt that Ollivander might not be that far off the mark.

At the end of the day, the native civilizations of Concord Quintus signed an agreement with the fleet. The accords spelled out their unconditional and immediate annexation into the Human Empire.

* * *

**End Notes:** I started reading some of the rebooted DC Universe comics in my spare time (the UK has a lot of comic book stores). In some way, just like how DC Universe updates the stories of Superman and other heroes in modern times, so am I adapting the Harry Potter franchise in a fictional future era. However, I'm doing more than change a few minor details. I reimagine the series from the beginning, middle and end. Much like the New Battlestar Galactica, I introduce new plots, change interpretations and work to a different direction. The some of the divergences might not appear to be obvious as of yet, but the differences will become apparent over time.


	6. I: The Doubt

July 10, 2012  
Proofread on November 14, 2012  
Proofread by Queen of Loopholes [303563]  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** You know what, the trouble of getting a good proofreader will take forever. I'm just going to continue this fic without waiting for getting a new beta with an exquisite sense of grammar and fluency because the trouble just isn't worth it at this stage.

**EDIT:** After months of intermittent searching, I finally found a new proofreader :P

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_The Doubt_

* * *

Over the next week, Harry felt anything but home. Everyone treated the incident over Concord Quintus as a minor event. Life just went on as if nothing had happened. He still had to attend classes and drill on ship duty.

Worst of all, no one really cared one bit about the slaughter of millions of lives. The jokes his fellow cadets made about the conquered Concords were in poor taste at best, and at other times…well, Harry didn't want to think about it. It appeared that every oldblood was so steeped in their 'navy traditions' that they didn't question the wisdom of sending Captain Snape to negotiate with aliens of all things.

Harry held out one slight hope that he would have at least one person on the Training Fleet who could share his sympathies. After another humiliating duelling session with Snape, Harry pulled Hermione away from the rest and tried to find somewhere private to talk.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

"Hold on." He said, and called up his familiar. "Hedwig, is this location safe?"

His semi-digital owl appeared from nowhere and flew around the empty abandoned classroom. "I've disabled the routine recording devices, but I cannot detect everything. I can try to transmit digital noise though, that might help decrease the chance of eavesdropping."

"I can help out with that." Crookshanks said as he appeared below the owl. "Let me interface with you…okay, we got it. It's clear."

"Thanks." Harry said, and then looked hopefully at his caring friend. "There's something I wanted to tell you for some time…"

For some reason, Hermione's face scrunched up and her cheeks turned…rosy? Shrugging off the distraction, Harry went ahead. "Ever since our fleet subjugated the Concord Quintus aliens, I've been having a bad feeling."

"What's wrong, Harry? Are you…afraid of battle?"

"No, nothing like that." He may be many things, but he wasn't a coward. "It's just…the slaughter is getting to me. The aliens were at least a hundred years away from reaching spaceflight, and they were absolutely no threat to us. Yet we opened fire on their defenceless cities with megatons of nuclear energy. Don't you see what's wrong with this picture?"

Hermione had been listening patiently to her friend, but at the end her face adopted a confused expression. "I admit it's a rather extreme reaction. Some of the cultural experts aboard the _Rowena_ speculate that it might have been enough to nuke just one city to get the message across. The fallout will also take many years to clean up. Personally they should have used a non-nuclear alternative."

Harry stared aghast at what Hermione just said. _'She's completely missing my point. It's as if she doesn't recognize my objections at all!'_

"But we're talking about living people here, just like you and me. They can think, talk, develop technology and create art! Didn't you like their music?"

"Oh it quickly got old. Once you heard a few there's little new." She dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand, but then her eyes turned serious. "I'm not really sure though why you are even questioning orders. Grand Admiral Dumbledore ordered the planetary bombardment himself and he was completely in the right. If the savages only played along they might have gotten a better deal."

The boy didn't know why he felt so differently from the others. Everyone seemed to be okay with the brazen annexation of a peaceful race. Could it be that something was fundamentally flawed with him? Some sort of brain damage left over from his time with the Dursleys? Or that the years he spent recovering in isolation stunted his intellectual growth somehow? He had to admit his foster parents were highly unusual in that they didn't appear to hold any enthusiasm for the Empire, but he couldn't believe that the others who lived in Surrey were as heartless as Hermione and the other cadets.

Hermione hadn't sat idle while Harry mulled over his thoughts, and looked at him with a critical eye. "I see. I get it. You think of the aliens as humans."

"Is there anything wrong with that?" He snapped, but immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so—"

Hermione abruptly stood up and turned her back to him. "You're wrong, Harry. Aliens aren't humans. They're beasts. And you don't sympathise with beasts. I know you have a fancy for beef. But do you ever think of the welfare of the cow who grew that meat?"

He never really considered that before.

"You haven't. No one has, and for good reason. It's a pointless exercise. We Homo sapiens just happen to enjoy beef and other meat, so we domesticate trillions of livestock throughout the entire Empire just to satisfy our appetite."

"But…" Harry wanted to say something back, anything to refute Hermione's argument. "I get it, the cows and pigs are in a pretty bad lot, but that's written in our DNA. Yet here we had a choice and still we killed defenceless aliens for no good reason other than to show off our power."

She turned around and appeared indignant. "That's not true. We had good reason to annex the Concord System. The vast mineral resources were only part of the equation. When the Imperial scouts had initially discovered the planet hosted carbon-based lifeforms, they took samples of its biofauna. They discovered so much potential new medicinal applications from the local plant life. The _Rowena Ravenclaw_ and the _Helga Hufflepuff_ are still buzzing with excitement from all of the additional samples that we took. Some of the new extracts can revitalize some important areas of mundane pharmacy and medical technology. We are doing so much good."

"So if Concord Quintus is so useful to us, why didn't we simply ask to trade with them?"

"We did, Harry. They shot at us first, remember?"

The Gryffindor really couldn't believe that his smart friend hadn't spotted anything wrong with this picture. "_Snape_ headed the diplomatic party. Don't you think he might not come off as the friendliest sort?"

"He's a captain. Of a cruiser no less."

"So?"

Hermione let out an exasperated breath. "So he must have earned the position through merit. There's no way he's as incompetent as you imply him to be. Everyone magical officer dreams to be a captain of a starship as advanced as the _Salazar Slytherin_. Professor Snape must have beaten hundreds of other experienced wizards to earn such a prestigious capital ship posting."

Hadn't she witnessed Snape's rotten personality enough when he picked on her for being a freshblood? Couldn't she perhaps have the imagination to think that Snape had too little diplomacy and too much subterfuge and somehow blackmail his way to the captaincy? But as he met her determined eyes, he realized all his arguments would bear no fruit.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Hermione."

"What's there to be sorry for?" She said, and brushed some of her bushy hair away from her face and sat down next to him. "I'm still your friend and group mate, Harry."

"Thanks."

The girl rose to her feet and moved towards the exit. Before she pulled on the doorknob however, she turned and gazed back with sad eyes. "Just remember Harry that Dumbledore was right. The universe is not a friendly place. It's inhabited by many races, some with the capability of wiping out the entire human race if we magicians weren't there to stop them. The only race that we have friendly relations with… well they aren't very useful."

"So why not make more friends?"

"Don't you think we tried?" Hermione actually laughed at this. "Our concept of diplomacy is much rarer than you think. Some races don't even know the meaning of peace. With others, the translation spells sometimes don't even work. The important fact you have to realize is that the Kichilics and other hostile races aren't giving up on defeating us so easily. Each year they come back with deadlier weapons, faster ships and stronger armour. We can't stay complacent. We have to develop new technology, train more magicians, and build better ships."

He understood her point, but sighed regardless. "If we keep getting into fights, eventually we'll bite off more than we can chew. Don't you think one day we might provoke another race, only for them to beat us at our own game?"

No one responded. Hermione had already left. Only Hedwig kept him company, and Harry even started to doubt her loyalty. "At least tell me you're on my side."

"Of course I am." Hedwig responded with a soothing voice as she swept down into her owner's arms. "A piece of your magical identity resides in me, and your foster parents programmed me specifically to care for you. No matter how many people turn away from you, I will always stay at your side."

Harry didn't have the energy to doubt his familiar's words. It would take too much of a toll on him if he couldn't even trust his closest companion.

* * *

The loneliness stung Harry. Having realized how far everyone had been bought in by this insane idea that they were the masters of the universe, he had difficulty matching their wavelength. Ron's jokes fell flat and Hermione's constant babbling sounded little better than noise. Instead of stopping for a moment and take the time to question what the hell it meant to be a member of Her Imperial Majesty's Navy, his friends preoccupied themselves with more immediate concerns such as the coming duel tournament or the mid-term exams. It sounded all so trivial to Harry, and his recent slide in performance reflected his apathy.

Even Shacklebolt took notice of his lacking enthusiasm, and pulled him aside for a private chat after another class. "Cadet Potter. Look at me."

He did, slowly.

"I have been observing your behaviour the past week. Your professors have all noted your decline. If you keep this up, you will show up on the 'special attention' list, and that is not a good thing."

"Sir…I…" Harry started, but trailed off. He couldn't trust Shacklebolt. Oh, the cadet liked the Auror. He knew what he was doing and his training had been highly effective in shoring up everyone's combat instincts. But he was still an Auror, one of the Empress' elite. If the professor found out what seditious thoughts his star pupil was entertaining, Harry would instantly be tossed into the brig.

So he twisted the truth.

"I just don't feel very motivated." Harry eventually came up with. "All of this studying. All of this training. And for what? A career in magic? Many of my classmates had their entire lives to prepare themselves for this life. Me? I barely had a month's worth of orientation before I got shipped off to space. It's confusing."

The Auror considered Harry's words for a moment, and seemed to buy it. "I can understand how a former mundane civilian such as you may feel unprepared for the challenges we set upon you. My advice? Do not concern yourself with matters far beyond your control."

The large man lowered himself and placed his warm hand over Harry's heart. "Take one step at a time. Participate in class. Study for your exams. Practice your magic. The Hogwarts Training Fleet will guide your path and make sure that you end up in the right destination, but you must walk with your own strength. Keep moving. Don't think too much."

The professor had other engagements and left Harry to his own devices. Standing outside the classroom somewhere in the aft section of the _Godric Gryffindor_, he stared out at the retreating mass of cadets. Ron hadn't even bothered to wait for him anymore and instead chatted avidly with Seamus about Quidditch. It wasn't as if his ginger-haired friend abandoned him. The boy simply thought that Harry needed to get over his 'phase' of feeling sorry for the Concords.

Was it just a phase? Would Harry eventually return to normal, and forget about his conflicting emotions?

'_Keep moving. Don't think.'_

Harry did just that. He started moving while doing anything but think very deeply. He walked the familiar hallways of the ship, not moving in any particular direction. _'Familiar? I've never even reached these parts. The only times I walked these corridors were in hectic simulations when it was about to be overrun by enemy boarding teams.'_

It struck him then how little he knew about the _Godric_ despite living here for more than two months. How long was the ship? Who were the department officers? What kind of torpedoes did the ship had in storage? Harry didn't spend too much brainpower in guessing the answers. After all, according to Professor Shacklebolt he shouldn't think. He had others to do the thinking for him. He was just a tiny cog of an immense machine.

He noticed then that the hallways weren't as calm as he thought. Harry looked up, wrenching himself from the depths of his mind to see a part of the ship that he had never seen before.

Mundanes. Average, unpowered crewmen wearing plain blue utility uniforms. Some carried tool bags and other equipment; others popped their collars and seemed to be enjoying their time off-duty. They looked so different in reality. In simulations, they always appeared as faceless or generic entities with the personality of a lifeless robot. Here though, in a random corridor far away from any classroom were real live mundane spacers.

"Get out of the way, kid." Someone muttered behind him, and Harry narrowly dodged the metal beam one spacer carried over his shoulder.

These people were…different. Different from the first years. Different from the older years. Different from.. well, anyone. These crewmen had no magic, yet somehow they decided to serve on one of the premier magical battleships of the Empire.

'_Why?'_

Harry felt a raging need to know the answer to that question. What motivated these spacers? Did they feel just the same as cadets? Or did they draw their motivation elsewhere? He swivelled his head, looking almost neurotically for an available spacer to address. He spotted one off-duty technician enjoying an inhalant underneath an air vent, and almost raced towards the man.

"Hey."

The man looked down at the cadet and noted the flimsy collection of insignia on his uniform. "What do you want, brat?"

"Why do you fight?"

"What?" The technician bleared, and blinked in confusion.

For a moment, Harry wondered if the man was intoxicated by his inhalant. His slightly reddish eyes confirmed that whatever the man was smoking, it wasn't Empire-approved material.

"I asked, why do you fight?"

The man stared dumbly at the kid, probably wondering what had provoked the question. Then he put out his stimulant and grabbed the cadet's hand. "Not here." He said with his rasped breath. "Follow me."

They traversed the winding corridors before they reached an empty work room. The man closed the door and locked it before turning back to Harry. "Okay kid, who put you up to this? Harris? The chief?"

'_Okay, this is bad.'_ Harry thought and held up his hands in surrender. "I don't know what you think but no one put me up to this. I was just curious."

It took a minute or two to convince the mundane that Harry had come all the way down here under his own volition. The older man caressed the stubble on his chin as gazed at the cadet. "Well I'll be damned. You're really just a kid who strolled down the underbelly of the Goddie."

Unsure whether that was a good or bad thing, Harry simply repeated his question. "Will you tell me the answer now why you fight? Aboard the _Godric Gryffindor_ I mean?"

"Hm." The man grunted and started to put up another inhalant. He took a deep drag and let the stimulants spread through his lungs and into his blood stream. "You're not one of those stuck-up types either. Where are you from, kid?"

"Earth. Britain."

"Don't know where Britain is, but you're alright in my book so long you're not Martian. I swear everyone from that god-forsaken planet has a stick up their—"

"Sir, will you answer my question already?" Harry pressed on once more, getting tired of this game.

"Since you called me a sir, I guess you deserve it." He said in a satisfied tone and took a seat at a nearby bench. "Come sit. What's your name, cadet?"

"Harry."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kellan."

"What do you do on this ship?"

"Nothing glamorous. I work at environmentals." At Harry's blank stare he took another drag and elaborated. "We're the department responsible for cleaning and recycling your air. And water for that matter. It's nothing as exciting as gunnery, and it doesn't have the cool-factor of engineering. We just work quietly in the background while letting you magicians hog all the glory."

"Aren't you jealous about that?"

"Hah!" Kellan let out, fouling the air and almost making Harry choke. "Kid, you don't know anything, do you? A third of the Empire is jealous of you. Another third is afraid of your powers. The rest, well…you don't want to be alone with them."

Suddenly conscious that Harry was exactly in that position, he started to lower his hand onto his wand holster. "And what are you then?"

"Relax, kid." The tech waved away Harry's paranoia, and instead pulled out another inhalant. He took the time to take another breath of his inhalant and let it work in his system. "Most of us mundanes aboard the Goddie don't fall into those categories. We all got our different reasons for serving alongside you magicals."

"What's your reason then?"

Kellan paused, eyes drifting off. His inhalant continued to smoulder between his lips.

"I…It's nothing special, you see."

"I'd still like to hear it." Harry said, bending closer to the man, pleading him to say something.

"Gosh." The man looked at his inhalant. "I've been drowning my sorrows alone, kid. I don't think I really shared my story to anyone yet." The technician blurted out, tears beginning to form from his eyes. "No one really cared."

"I do." Well, was he really? _'Caring is the least I can do. I didn't came here to hear his sob story, but… I'm in the middle of my own, so I can't complain.'_

The older man took another hit of his stimulant, working up the courage to tell his history. His eyes were practically veined in red. He then reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve a small tablet. He wordlessly passed it over to the cadet, who switched it on and saw a static image.

"Is this…your wife and daughter?"

"I worked as a spacer my entire life, you know. Not in the military, but in the merchant fleet. I had a decent set of certificates so I saved a decent amount of money. There was this girl I met at a space station, some woman just out of college and out to explore the galaxy. We hitched up pretty quickly and I decided to retire from interstellar trade in order to raise my own family. We…we took the Empire's offer to populate a recently established colony…some forgotten world in the back end of space."

The weary mundane sniffed and continued his story. Harry suspected the inhalant affected him more than he intended. "We knew the risks, but we thought it just wouldn't happen to us, you know? I worked at an agricultural complex while my wife offered her services as a lawyer to the local city. Soon enough a baby came along, sweet, sweet Caroline. She was the most beautiful daughter in the universe. She had the most brilliant smile that put any parent to tears."

Kellan was pretty much sobbing right now. He lowered his head and pressed his leaking eyes against his elbow.

"She didn't deserve it. My wife didn't deserve it. The authorities say that the Sowakri introduced a genetically engineered virus into the colony's ecosystem. They wanted to wipe out all of the humans so they could swoop in and rob our technology or something. I don't really remember the details anymore. All that mattered was that the virus wiped us out. Almost. I was lucky the megafarm operated under its own enclosed biosphere."

The man's tears subsided. Instead a cool rage began to overtake his eyes. His fists clenched as he regarded Harry with his determination. "I am just a single mundane. I'm nothing good for anything except cleaning sewage. But someone has to do the job. If my work helps you magicals take the fight back to the Sowakri, the Kichilics and all the other alien scum out there who are robbing people of their families!"

"That's…very noble of you. Joining the navy in order to protect others."

"It's all that I have left." Kellan said calmly, having regained some of his composure by now, though he still looked somewhat out of it. He took back the tablet and put it in his pocket. "Now you know something about me. What about you? What do you fight for?"

"Pardon?" The question came somewhat sudden to Harry.

"Oh, I forgot. You're probably too young for this. Well, you'll figure it out eventually. Do you have a family back home on Earth?"

"Yeah…sort of. I'm adopted, but I love my family."

Kellan smiled warmly at Harry and finished his inhalant. "That's the spirit. When everything else is falling apart around you, just think back on your family and it will all come together."

Thinking back on Jane and Troy, who spent so much effort in repairing his childhood, and Alexia, who he adored for so many years, Harry felt his heart start to mend back together. Unlike Kellan, Harry still had a family to fight for and protect. He should count himself lucky in this regard.

"Thanks for sharing me your story, sir. It really helped me."

"Glad to be of service, kid. I have to get back to duty. Just…one more thing." The technician bent own and grasped both of Harry's shoulder. "I…don't mention this to anyone else, okay? I only talked to you since you looked like you needed it. If Caroline was alive, she would have been your age. Oh Empress I miss her."

When Harry finally returned back to his dorm, a hope returned to his heart. While he didn't obtain the answers to all of his questions, he felt he understood the motivations of his fellow ship mates just a little bit better. As the night shift came and Harry snuggled in his bed, he resigned to himself that he wouldn't be able to solve all of his dilemmas in the foreseeable future. All of this moping around really didn't accomplish anything. So with a heavy heart, he released his burdens, and focused on the present.

'_I just have to keep moving and stop looking back.'_

* * *

In the subsequent days, Harry picked up his life and tried to integrate himself with the rest as best as possible. In some ways he still felt ill at ease for betraying the hopes of the Concords. By pushing their cause to the back of his mind, he felt he was treating them just like Hermione's cows. How long before this pattern of thinking became natural to him?

'_Don't think. Keep moving.'_

This phrase had become his mantra. Sometimes he switched the elements. The order didn't really matter. There was no higher meaning in the words. He just had to follow the others and keep his head focused on the task at hand.

Soon enough, his performance started to recover. He paid attention in class and practiced the spells extensively outside of it with Ron. During duelling, he tried to make an effort of doing better, and while Snape still regarded him as an alien in disguise, the Gryffindor didn't let his emotions control his actions. The simulated drilling became a safe haven to him. It was a world unsullied by any complications. The only aliens he met were the deathly Kichilics or other unspeakable terrors that no one in the world had any sympathy for. He even received a personal commendation from Captain McGonagall for outperforming the rest of his class in a rescue action.

"Who is Merlin the Younger?" Cyril asked to his class one day. "Now don't answer yet. Take a minute to breathe and gather your thoughts. Try to sum up your impression of him by using one, succinct word."

After one minute was up, the goblin professor pointed to Ron.

"We'll…he's a hero."

"Sage." The magician cadet next to him said.

"Mundane lover. Sorry sir, I know it's two words. I couldn't think of anything better."

"Visionary."

"Inventor."

"Archmage."

"Warleader."

"Victorious."

The rest of the class came up with answers that bore much similarity with each other. The same common threads began to emerge. When Harry's turn came up, he simply said, "Saviour."

"I find it peculiar that none of you dared to mention any negative quality about our subject." The professor stated as he went up the edge of the desk and sat himself down. "The closest that come to that area, depending on your perspective, is 'mundane lover' or 'technophile'. This happens to be his most defining – and controversial – trait."

Professor Flitwick then leaned forward and held the back of his palm to his mouth, as if he was whispering another secret to the class. He had an endearing habit of doing that once in a while.

"This isn't exactly common knowledge, children, but Merlin the Younger wasn't called by that name during that era. The moniker is just an invention by the Propaganda Bureau long after the First Kichilic War to make him appear more heroic. They wanted to just call him Merlin at first, due to the unparalleled esteem he commanded with both mundanes and magicals, but that was too presumptuous even in the Empress' eyes. So they attached 'the Younger' behind his new name in order to imply he was a successor or a descendent of the original Merlin. It made for excellent branding and successfully eased the integration of magicals into the mundane world."

"Then what was his real name back in the day?"

"Oh," Cyril chuckled. "You shouldn't even be asking that question, Cadet Patil. Merlin's real origins have been scrubbed from all of history. Even I do not know his name or lineage. My other colleagues have found that digging in too deep on this topic can cause a premature end to their careers."

The teacher then dimmed down the lights and called up a projector of the Sol System. "Now where were we in the timeline. Oh yes, 2286, just two years before the MMA. The Kichilic invasion fleet destroyed many military strongholds in the outer solar system, and were beginning to knock on the doorstep of Mars. Even as the spectre of total extinction began to dawn on the still-divided mundanes, the magicals were completely ignorant of these outside events. They had in effect, buried their heads in the sand, and hoped dearly that their flaunted magic would hide them from the sight of the enemy."

"Merlin the Younger was different, right sir? He saw things differently and made the right decision."

"It is true that Merlin the Younger was a deviant. But at the time he wasn't seen as someone in the right. No, the reality was much more complicated. You have to realize that in the twenty-third century, hardly any magical left our home planet of Earth and explored the rest of the solar system. Those who tried to join the initial colonization waves died when they caused the shuttles or spaceships they travelled on to malfunction. Only a decade before Merlin the Younger's pilgrimage did mundane technology advanced to be robust enough to withstand a magical's natural energy field."

"So was Merlin the Younger the first magical to travel up in space?"

"Probably not." Cyril mused, then shook his head. "But it matters little. Any magicals that travelled before him hardly had any impact on their society. What opinions they formed while they travelled in space, they kept it to themselves. All except Merlin the Younger. Now this might surprise you, but back in his day he was a bit of a rebel. He went completely against the grain of his fossilized society, who looked at the rapid progress the mundanes had made over the century and became more paranoid than ever to avoid interaction."

Images passed through the projector. Many of them depicted ancient structures, fallen mansions and crowds of huddled people hiding behind their robes.

"We know not what made Merlin different and why he held a different opinion. We can only observe the results he achieved after he witnessed first-hand the brutality of the Kichilic invaders. Despite what you may read from your mundane history books, Merlin the Younger did not first knock at the Palace of Mars and ask for an audience with the Red Empress. He first returned to Earth and tried to convince his fellow witches and wizards of the dire threat that human civilization faced."

Harry and the others were completely wrapped up in Cyril's tale. The professor's story sounded nothing like the official Imperial history, where Merlin gallantly prophesized the end of all humanity unless they could master both magic and technology in a united front against a hostile and merciless galaxy.

"You can expect that the ancient Wizarding World didn't take the rebel seriously. They suffered from a severe case of groupthink developed over centuries of insulation and alienation. When they stopped taking in outsiders altogether, they lacked the wide perspective they needed to deal with outside problems constructively."

"Professor? What did Merlin the Younger do next then?"

Cyril chuckled again, and started to show slides of broken shops, buildings with holes in their walls and other strange sights. "Well, the records aren't entirely consistent, but it appeared that he went on a mass robbery spree. He had a plan, and it involved obtaining a lot of magical material. He stole as many brooms, chemical materials, books and other valuable items as he could in a span of a few days, then left for Mars when the wizards were about to corner him. The rest is history, as you say, when he arrived at the Palace of Mars and presented irrefutable proof of the existence of magic to a desperate court. The Red Empress prayed for a miracle, and Merlin the Younger answered her call."

The slides ended, and the lights turned back to full power. The class had ended, and everyone stood up and started to leave.

"Before you go, cadets," Cyril added, staring deeply at his students. "I would like to impart you with one more lesson. Merlin the Younger's history shows that his contemporaries regarded him as a deviant. Yet he held on to his vision and saved the lives of many of your direct ancestors. His courage in the face of overwhelming pressure to change his beliefs is his real virtue. Let this be a lesson to you all. Never stop questioning."

Harry came away from the lecture with a profound sense of both enlightenment and confusion. For one, he never knew Merlin the Younger faced so much opposition. The stories and basic history lessons he learned back in Britain always portrayed him as a Messiah, a Merlin reborn from the ashes of his predecessor. Destiny itself was in his favour as he rallied both the magicals and mundanes to a common cause and save humanity from extinction. To hear that the real situation was much more challenging put many of his preconceptions into doubt.

There was only one thing he knew for sure. _'I'm not Merlin the Younger.'_

* * *

**End Notes:** Thinking about it a bit more, it is rather futile to compare this fic to any novel, movie or TV series because more often than not I'm unfamiliar with it. I get a bit annoyed whenever someone brings a connection to another work that I didn't establish myself, and I get even more ticked off when the reviewer insists I incorporate more elements from that work. One time with my Naruto fanfic some reviewer paralleled it with Avatar: The Last Airbender and insisted I cross it over with that instead of my original universe. He never even considered that I never watched the cartoon and never will. In other instances reviewers brought up the parallel between _The Star Empire_ and Firefly, which I also never watched. I enjoy reading, watching or playing works based on science fiction. That doesn't mean I'm like that comic book geek in The Simpsons.


	7. I: The Field Trip

July 15, 2012  
Proofread on November 17, 2012  
Proofread by Queen of Loopholes [303563]  
Written by RahXephon [847246]

**Author's Notes:** Nothing much to say at the moment.

* * *

_**The Star Alliance**_

_The Field Trip_

* * *

Harry woke up to find Hedwig sitting on his chest with a message. He read it, and immediately left his bed to shower and go meet the sender of the message.

By this time the Hogwarts Training Fleet received a new message to pick up an important package at an Imperial star system. Due to the low probability of danger, the ships of the fleet stayed in close proximity, allowing the Hogwarts castle to be accessible by everyone when they had group activities or when they were off-duty. Harry traversed the half-transparent landscape as fast as he could and entered the solid castle. He wound his way up the stairs and entered the duelling chamber.

Darkness met his sights. During the night shift, no one used the inactive hall. The castle was just as asleep as the rest of the fleet. The only spacers that remained awake were those who manned the ships while the regular crew could sleep without worry.

Someone suddenly appeared behind Harry and pushed him further inside. The boy turned around and pulled out his wand, but then the lights flicked on, temporary blinding his night vision. When his eyes finally adjusted, he finally saw who had pushed him inside.

Draco.

"About time you showed up, freshblood."

"What's this all about? Is it bully-the-freshblood hour this time?" Harry asked, wary of any ambushes but knowing that it would be futile.

Hedwig appeared right at his shoulder as a silent warning. The AI familiar could call the marines to this chamber at any instance, and there were still a few who were out patrolling the empty halls.

"Nothing like that." A feminine voice called out behind him, and Harry automatically pivoted himself sideways in order to keep sight of both of the others. Susan Bones took no notice of his actions and stopped when she reached the duelling strip. "We have merely called you here to…do something about our predicament."

The Slytherin walked forward, taking the other end of the duelling strip. "You see, freshblood, we've grown rather tired of your continued bumbling during duelling sessions. As much as I'd like to see you fall, I'm not about to let you drag us down with you."

Both of his group mates then started to bow at each other before beginning their impromptu duel.

Susan stood calmly, dodging with only a minimum amount of motion, preferring instead to use her ample knowledge to counter her opponent's spells. Whenever Draco resorted to fire, she called up water. When he conjured up a rock, she diverted its path with a simple kinetic push. Harry knew Susan possessed some skill. He learned quite early on that her aunt enjoyed a high position in the Empire, and that her parents urged her to reach the same heights. She even participated in the same competition that Daphne won, ending up seventh in the ranking.

Draco came from a similarly high lineage. While he didn't reveal much to Harry, the Gryffindor found enough on the Galactic Net to draw his own conclusions. The Malfoys were old. As one of the principal families of the abolished Wizarding World, they were one of the torchbearers of tradition. Somewhat odd though that Harry found was that the Malfoys were also one of the Empire's strongest supporters. Draco's father was even considered for promotion to the position of Imperial Advisor. With the ascension of the current Empress that seemed unlikely now but not impossible.

The Slytherin adapted to Susan's defensive posture quickly, and started to probe the female Hufflepuff's defences for any weak points. Sometimes he surprised her by casting an advanced spell that she didn't have the power or knowledge to block. This made Harry slightly suspicious of Draco. As far as he knew, Slytherins didn't learn as much combat-related magic as Gryffindors. The Slytherin also made a remarkable growth ever since their mentor group started with the activity. _'Someone must have tutored him privately. Could it be Captain Snape himself?'_

The duel came to an unexpected end when Draco conjured up a snake, which frightened Susan enough for Draco to disarm her. Harry narrowed his eyes. _'Professor McGonagall hadn't taught us to conjure any animals yet.'_

Draco accio-ed Susan's wand and gave it back to her. "You see Harry, this is how you properly duel. We don't roll around or try to overpower your enemies' shields like you always do. We develop strategies. We adapt to our opponent. We _think_."

The blond's remarks affected Harry more than he intended.

"Don't you think I know that?" Harry angrily spat back. "I'm not a novice. I know all the spells! I know how to fight!"

A sneer appeared on Malfoy's face. "A brawl is not a duel."

Susan walked up besides Malfoy and pressed her hand on his shoulder. "Enough, Draco. We didn't invite Harry to argue." She turned her eyes to Harry. "At the end of the midterms Professor Snape will hold a duelling tournament. All of the first year mentor groups will compete together against other groups. The final performance we achieve will affect our chances of taking the same group activity again the next year."

"I don't see a problem here." Harry said, and crossed his arms. "You two are doing well enough, and Padma and Hermione have still caught up so far. With Snape drooling over the both of you I don't see how I can cause our group to fail. Besides, I don't mind if we did."

"You degenerate freshblood! I don't like this more than you do but we're in this _together!_ Our future careers are in line here, don't you see? The higher ups won't ever take me seriously if I managed to fail duelling in my first year!"

"Again, why should I care?"

Susan smacked her palm against her face. "Draco, you're not making this any better. Harry, there's more to this mentor group than you and I. We all need to do well in duelling to gain a leg up. And think about Hermione. Don't you want to make her safe?"

"Don't bring her into this." Harry hissed. If they threatened Hermione, he'd…

"They don't teach a lot of combat magic to Ravenclaws." The girl pressed on, recognizing Harry's vulnerability. "If she keeps up with duelling, she'll be able to fend off attacks much better. Despite what you may have heard, magicians do fight each other occasionally."

While Harry didn't want to admit it, Susan made a good point. The other Houses didn't learn as much combat magic as the Gryffindors. A magician's prime responsibility in Her Majesty's Imperial Navy was to obtain the capability to perform ship-wide apparition and project spells through energy projectors. Beyond these basic requirements, magicians were free to choose their own careers. If the Kichilics or some other hostile aliens manage to reach her, then she'd be practically defenceless.

"Alright. I get it." Harry admitted to them both. "I don't even know why you're in Hufflepuff."

"It's tradition. Hufflepuffs aren't all about plants and animals. Quite a lot of graduates join the civilian administration." She explained, and went back to the duelling arena. "Now get over here. You have to learn how to counter a spell with something other than a shield."

Harry reluctantly took position and listened to Susan and Draco's instructions. He tried not to roll his eyes when they stressed the important of counters. _'Aliens don't use spells.'_ Yet he did pay attention when Susan had mentioned that magicians occasionally fought each other. To be honest, he couldn't imagine why they would do so? There were severe penalties involved for harming a magician since they were so vital to the Empire. They couldn't really be fighting each other…could they?

* * *

"About time you stopped moping about." Ron mumbled as he chewed a sandwich. The _Godric_'s mess hall was packed with cadets during lunchtime, one of the few moments when most magicians gathered together.

Harry was enjoying a quiet soup when his friend had spoken. He had learned quite quickly not to provoke Ron into talking. The Weasley had retained the unpleasant habit of speaking with his mouth full. But when Ron looked insistently at him he had no choice.

"What do you mean Ron?"

"The thing with the Concords."

"I don't want to talk about it." Harry grumbled and went back to his tomato soup.

"I also know you've been sneaking about at night. What are you up to? If you're out pranking, I want to come with you."

"I don't have time for pranking. I'm meeting with some of my mentor group members to practice duelling."

Ron seemed to wince, which was unfortunate since bits of his sandwich fell into his lap. "My father took duelling once when he went to Hogwarts. He hated it because it was a Slytherin clubhouse. You should have joined me in zero-g basketball."

"Well what's done is done." Harry sighed, and stirred his soup. "And didn't you want to do quidditch?"

"Yeah, half my group does. We're dropping basketball for quidditch next year if we can qualify for it. I still want to keep bridge command though. I'm going to be a battleship captain someday." Ron boasted eagerly.

When Harry first learned that Ron's group also picked bridge command, he was surprised that his friend would agree to the choice. Evidently, besides quidditch, Ron had an obsession for commanding starships. He wanted to be the first Weasley in the family to achieve the rank of captain. His father Arthur once came close, but then he got embroiled in a political scandal that forced him out of the navy.

How Ron could manage to achieve that, Harry wasn't sure. _'He should start with keeping his mouth shut when he's eating.'_

At the end of the lunch, Scabbers appeared out of nowhere and swiftly swiped a few pieces of cheese from the table.

"Eeeww! Ron!" A girl yelled while backing off the table.

"Hey! Didn't I tell you to wait after I'm gone to grab your food?" Ron told his familiar while he tried to grab the rat. Scabbers was quite agile however, and jumped away from the table and climbed up an alcove in the bulkhead.

"You may be my master but you don't tell me when to eat!" The scruffy rat yelled from its perched while munching on his yellow snack. It appeared the familiar adopted at least one of its master's habits.

"C'mon Harry, can't you call your owl to grab my familiar?"

"I don't think I should. Besides, he's your responsibility."

Before they could argue any more, Scabbers spoke again. "I didn't come here to grab my lunch, although it's certainly a nice bonus." The rat bit another chunk before continuing. "I was sneaking around like usual when I overheard something good."

"Well go on then."

"We're dropping into the Royale System soon. Ol' Grand Admiral Dumbledore is picking up something extremely valuable over there. Something he has to deliver all the way to the Sol System in time for the 300th anniversary of the Empire."

"No way! The Hogwarts Training Fleet will be there at the celebrations?"

"What's the big deal?" Harry asked, puzzled why everyone nearby took note of the announcement.

"Don't you see, Harry?" Ron said, grabbing his friend's shoulders. "The parties on Sol Quartus are going to be epic!"

"Ron." Someone interrupted him. Harry recognized the older boy as Percy. "Before you fill your head with ideas, it's more than likely we'll stay on yellow alert throughout the celebration. Security is going to be a nightmare during the anniversary."

This crashed every first year's mood. "Awww, why can't they let us go? It's not like we first years are any use on the ship."

"The younger you are, the less capable you are of defending yourselves. All shore leave is prohibited when the ship is at a heightened state of alert. You better get used to it, brother."

Harry didn't mind the restriction as Percy had a good point. Even if he learned a few basic combat spells, Professor Shacklebolt had stressed that the first year curriculum is dreadfully shallow, and that they wouldn't learn how to hold their own against aliens or modern combat troops until they reached their fourth year. He had learned from plenty of classes that magicians attracted a lot of nutcases wanting to do them harm. Even if they disguised themselves, Harry didn't know he could pass off as a random mundane anymore. The oldbloods certainly couldn't.

"Before you go off cry in a corner Ron, I did hear another little detail." Scabbers said as he finished his bit of cheese. "Captain McGonagall is considering taking you first years down planet for a field trip."

"What about the older years?" Someone from another table asked. Harry vaguely recognized him as a third year cadet.

"Don't know, the conversation was too brief for me to catch it all. But it's likely only the first years are invited, since they are so useless guarding the ship anyway."

A lot of cadets were disappointed to hear that. Shipboard life was hard, and the only opportunity to leave was when the Hogwarts Training Fleet returned to the Diagon System for maintenance and resupply while waiting for the next cadets to arrive. Harry didn't have to look very hard to find out cases where cadets went bonkers due to a lack of shore leave.

'_Maybe the captain wants to prevent that from forming in the first years.'_

* * *

The Royale System. One of the power centres of Imperial society. While the political capital was unquestionably the Sol System, the Royales boasted a large concentration of naval assets. The system boasted a staggering fifteen planets and hundreds of moons and dwarf planets, providing a wealth of mineral resources devoted to the construction of starships and other heavy assets. The light blue giant sitting in the middle of the system radiated a huge amount of light that solar collectors eagerly converted into electricity.

In addition to being an economic powerhouse, Royale boasted many defences, as plenty of aliens lusted over the valuable star system. The formidable Second and Fifth Fleets were based here, providing a powerful blanket of security over the highly populated planets. The citizens had plenty of reason to call the Royale System the Bastion of the Empire. Yet the Sol System still remained the Jewel. The ancestral home system of humanity would always be revered.

While Harry didn't hold his hopes, Scabbers had been surprisingly correct. While Professor Dumbledore shuttled over to one of Royale Septimus' moons to pick up a highly sensitive package, Professor McGonagall had received his permission to tour a military base tunnelled inside a smaller and much less important moon.

The shuttle trip went smoothly as Professor Hagrid piloted the craft inside a hangar bay built into a low mountain. The cadets exited their ride and many of them took their first steps on the moon.

"Whoooaaa!" Ron exclaimed as he and others inexplicably bounced off the surface and flew at least four meters over everyone else. Some even somersaulted, only to lose control over their spin and crash in a tangle of limbs. "This is wicked! It's like zero g basketball. Harry you should come and try!"

"Cadets! There will be no frolicking about in low g." Professor McGonagall ordered as she exited the cockpit hatch. Some students managed to stick to the surface by activating their magnetic boots, but others were floating wildly. The professor sighed exasperatingly and used her cyberwand to gently pull her students down.

"Captain Hagrid, would you please inform the base officials of our arrival?" She said as she summoned a floating cyberwand a student had dropped.

The huge man lumbered out of the shuttle after locking everything down and nodded. "Aye aye, ma'am." Then he winked at the cadets. "This won't take more than a few minutes, laddies."

Harry still stared at the frog-like way the larger professor had to walk in the low g environment. Ron even stifled a laugh.

Once everyone settled down, McGonagall explained a bit more about the trip. "While it may seem that Her Imperial Majesty's Navy is the only institution that stands in the way of the aliens, the Red Empress has empowered multiple organisations with this responsibility. One of them is the Colonial Army, responsible for occupying and defending worlds from ground assaults. Another organisation is the Imperial Intelligence Service. This is actually one of their bases."

A few hushed whispers went through the crowd.

"In your later career it is important to work together with the Empire's many institutions. There have been many instances in the past where selfish officers have refused to share information with these exclusively mundane organisations, resulting in preventable losses. With this visit, I hope you will appreciate the IIS' efforts."

By this time, Professor Hagrid along with another officer returned to McGonagall. The stranger had a cordial talk with the captains before introducing himself to the students.

"Greetings cadets. I am Colonel Hartford of the IIS and I shall be touring you around this base. Not all of it, naturally."

The man didn't appear to be as scary as Harry had thought. The IIS was always shrouded behind a sinister reputation. Seeing this bright and eager colonel talk went against his image of them as shady spies.

"If you will follow me this way, I am sure you will be quite interested in what we have to show."

The adults herded the cadets through the exit of the hangar and subjected everyone to the usual security checks. After everyone came up clean, Hartford led the procession to a cargo elevator that reached deep underground. They stepped outside one of the lowest floors and entered what appeared to be a prison.

The colonel nodded to the guards standing guard in this section and turned around to face the students. "You might think that all the IIS does is spy on you practically every minute on your life. Not that we already do that of course."

Harry felt a bit nervous acknowledging that idea. What if they already knew of his different opinions?

"Yet many seem to forget that what the IIS is primarily tasked with is gathering intelligence of _the enemy_. The single greatest threat to humanity is not ourselves, but rather the inscrutable alien hordes that assail our borders regularly. Despite centuries of continuous conflict, we still do not know with certainty why they are interested in making war with our species. This facility is one of many where we seek to answer this question."

Colonel Hartford retrieved a small controller and tapped a few buttons. The polarising mirror set against the wall shimmered into transparency, revealing to everyone what lay behind.

The huge creature behind the protective screen was an insectoid. It consisted of one oval body section with fourteen limbs ending in slithering tendrils, all of which were dextrous enough to manipulate tools. The creature's 'head' was embedded into the body, and appeared to be an ugly collection of razor-covered mandibles, which the beast constantly gnashed together in frustration. No sound escaped from its mouth. The only sign of life the alien showed was the movement of its intelligent eyes. All eight of them stared with undecipherable emotions towards the crowd of cadets that gawked at its bulk.

"This, cadets, is a Kichilic." Hartford introduced the creature with pride. "It is a carbon-based life form that can survive under similar conditions as humanity. We believe that this is the principal reason why the Kichilics chose to invade three centuries ago, as Earth poses quite a great value to them. This specific specimen is of the Warrior Caste, the most common variant you will find on the front lines. Their armour is incredibly resilient to kinetic firearms but somewhat vulnerable to energy-based magic and thermal weaponry such as lasers. However, it is rare to encounter an unarmoured Kichilic today as they have started wearing armour about two hundred years ago."

A girl raised her hand.

"Yes, cadet?"

"Can you make it move, sir?"

"Why certainly." Hartford replied. He manipulated his controller and caused a bolt of electricity to land on the creature's eyes.

The Kichilic immediately went berserk, moving its powerful legs forward until the alien's mandibles crashed against the transparent armour that kept it separated from the frightened crowd of magician cadets. The Warrior Kichilic tried to razor his way through the glass-like material before simply resorting to bashing it with the prominent horn atop its head.

"Warrior castes are really fast, laddies." Professor Hagrid added. "I've seen a few charging right up my face, and I tell ya, you don't want them to skewer you. I remember the first time it happened I almost froze. Took my loyal AI familiar Fang to pull me out of the way to survive that charge. Just remember Gryffindors, just dodge sideways if you see one coming after you. When they're about to charge, they can't change their direction."

That was something Harry would definitely remember. Sure, he had seen many Kichilics during their simulated drills. Yet the simulations lacked punch. The mere knowledge that those magical holograms couldn't do anything to hurt him made him complacent. Seeing one in the flesh though was a much different experience. The enormous sight of a Warrior Caste Kichilic humbled him even as other cadets took turns torturing the creature with the colonel's controller.

"Sir, can you turn on the speakers? I want to hear it scream." Dean asked and continued to hold down the button.

"I think the poor fellow has quite enough." Hartford said smoothly and took back his device from the eager cadet. "We don't want to fry his mind. He's still a valuable intelligence source. And besides, the creature did scream of sorts. Did you notice the subtle changes in the creature's hue?"

Not everyone had noted it. Now that Harry looked closer, the Kichilic's exoskeleton did reflect a little bit differently in the light.

"The Kichilics do not communicate through sound, at least that we know of. Their primary method of communication instead appears to be light. They are quite perceptive, and can absorb a large amount of information by looking at a single image."

The screen mercifully polarized back into a mirror, blocking the gruesome sight. The Colonel gestured the crowd to a different cell. "Besides, we have many other species in captivity that you will surely want to observe."

The base commander proceeded to display the other aliens. Harry felt he was back in a zoo, gawking in ignorance at the bizarre shapes that Hartford had in captivity.

"This is a special bugger, and quite uncommon." He said, switching over to a cell filled with brownish liquid. A large,.. crystal-like amoeba dwelled within, floating lethargically in his cell.

"The Haleians as we call it are not a traditional intelligent life form. We suspect that they appear to grow more intelligent when they gain volume, but we have never met a truly sentient Haleian. These bastards travel in ships built out of their own bodies, which acts like a factory to them that allow them to extract almost any resources from the environment they wish. It is actually difficult for us to properly separate the creature from its ship, since they are in some perspectives one and the same. The only reason why this specimen hasn't built a weapon and broken out yet is because we drugged its cage with a special cocktail in its high-pressure containment cell."

"Sir? Why are they interested in us if they can't live in a nitrogen-oxygen environment?"

"That is a very astute question cadet." Hartford nodded to Parvati. "Unlike the Kichilics, we are assaulted by many other races that do not exactly desire our worlds or resources. What they wish instead is to understand the secrets of our magic. The Haleians for example have shown to be extraordinary studious of humanity, and will literally devour you whole in order to tinker with your tissue."

A lot of students backed away in revulsion. "That's gross."

"Luckily, there are not a great number of them, so we have little to fear from this race."

After a few more displays, the colonel ended the tour and brought the crowd back to the hangar bay. As the cadets began to file back into the shuttle, Hartford called to McGonagall and left her with one last gift.

"Here, I want you to have this." He said, handing over a sizable gift-wrapped box that an aide had delivered to him. "It's been a pleasure seeing you again Minerva."

The professor accepted it graciously with a smile. "Why thank you."

Everyone soon took their seats and the shuttle boosted out of the hangar. They were leaving the IIS facility and heading back to the _Godric Gryffindor_.

During the flight, Ron surprisingly didn't keep open his mouth very much. Normally he'd be running his mouth.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing." He said, though after a minute he spoke again. "It's just…all those aliens. There's so many of them. We can't win against them all. What's the point…of fighting in the first place?"

This was a question Harry often entertained in his mind. Despite his mixed feelings towards the Empire and its policy against other intelligent life forms, Harry did not wish for his own race to be exterminated.

"We can't win…but we can still try to live."

* * *

A few days after Dumbledore finished his errand and the fleet obtained some additional supplies, the Hogwarts Training Fleet apparated out of the Roylale System. According to scuttlebutt, the Grand Admiral wasn't in any hurry to return to the Sol System yet, and instead plotted a roundabout course through the Galactic heartland of the Empire. Hogwarts wouldn't be straying close to any active frontlines, but they wouldn't be patrolling the inner systems either where there was no need for their services.

Harry found it odd that someone as important as Dumbledore himself needed to personally pick up a delivery, only to spend months in space before finally delivering the package to Sol Quartus.

"Beats me. Maybe the Red Empress doesn't want to keep hold of it either." Ron guessed. "It explains why it was holed up in the Royale System in the first place."

Classes continued on as usual. In transfiguration, Professor McGonagall covered the principles of conjuration and taught a few cantrips. In charms, they learned how to manipulate gravity and mass by using Wingardium Leviosa and other basic variants. Professor Shacklebolt then pushed the cadets to apply their lessons by having them conjure up objects and banish them towards an opponent. Harry and a few other cadets received extra points for successfully banishing objects with the sharp end pointed towards his target.

Yet for all of the excitement of magic, Harry enjoyed his History of Magic class the most. Professor Cyril had so much to say that opened his mind. His knowledge of the old pre-MMA world was extensive, and his anecdotes of the initial years of the partnership between Merlin the Younger and the Red Empress demystified the mythical figures of history. Who knew that the famed wizard who opened up the Wizarding World had a sweet tooth for candy and cakes?

"We tend to deify our heroes. In our urge to worship their achievements, we quietly start to forget their faults." Cyril explained, showing a slide of the Red Empress kneeling down to play with her daughter while Merlin himself watched contently in the background.

"This is regrettable. No one is without flaws. Everyone who has lived long enough to be remembered in history all have their sins. In order to appreciate our heroes properly, we must always look at their lives in a critical perspective. Blind adulation gets us nowhere."

Ship duty also started to turn somewhat tolerable. Professor McGonagall had hinted that they were close to obtaining their certifications in basic ship safety and damage control. Besides, Harry suspected, even she started to get tired of all the mind-numbing simulations. By now Harry and the others knew the layouts of all four ships like the back of their hands.

Duelling happened to be one area where Harry experienced the largest change. Now that Draco started to teach him whatever Professor Snape taught the members of his own House, Harry actually managed to pull himself to a mediocre level, on par with Padma. Hermione had fallen slightly behind due to her passive nature. Despite her wealth of knowledge, she just wasn't as confident as her fellow Ravenclaw in exhibition duels.

Therefore, one night, Harry invited the rest of the mentor group to their regular gathering.

"What is the meaning of this?" Draco hissed as he stomped over to Hermione, disregarding Padma for the moment. "I didn't volunteer my precious time to pamper an additional freshblood."

Having already anticipated a confrontation of some sorts, Harry smoothly slipped in front of Hermione to shield her. "Look Draco, I get it that you want our group to pass to the next year. But you have to bring in the others as well. Our group is lacking behind the other first years."

"No thanks to you."

"Enough with the insults, Draco."

"I can speak for myself, thank you very much." Hermione said behind him and pushed Harry out of the way. She faced Slytherin directly without an inch of fear. "Look, if you were practising in private, at least let us benefit. Don't you think you might learn more if you had more sparring partners?"

Before Malfoy could snarl back a comment about her mundane parents, Susan finally arrived together with Neville and defused the situation. "I agree with Hermione. We all have our own duelling styles. If we practice too much against the same opponents we won't be as well prepared if we encounter a different pattern."

With virtually the entire group against him, Draco had no choice but to back off. "Fine..… but I won't waste more than an hour with this drivel. I still want to catch some sleep you know."

"Thank you, Harry." Padma spoke to him as the others took up positions first. "I had been practising with Hermione in my free time but this is much more engaging."

Out of all of the members of his mentor group, Harry had spoken the least with Padma. That she actually approached him to say something was new. "You two deserved it, and I didn't want Hermione to catch Professor Snape's attention."

"Mmmhmm." She hummed as they both observed Hermione's duel against Susan. The bushy-haired girl knew a diverse array of spells, but lacked the speed to cast the complex ones in time.

"Don't bother with casting spells above your grade." Susan advised her opponent. "Master the basic ones at first."

Hermione almost couldn't believe what Susan said. "But they're so simplistic!"

"There's a reason why our classes follow a schedule. Don't read ahead and try to use spells your professors haven't explained yet in class."

"I'll…I'll try."

"Wow. Even I didn't know that." Neville mumbled, and smiled somewhat shyly at Harry. "I'm really glad you invited me here."

"You're welcome." He replied, and went up the stage after Susan and Hermione had finished. "We're all in this together."

The group spent the rest of the hour practising their moves and critiquing each other's performance. Draco had an unhealthy obsession in defeating Harry, but the Gryffindor was catching up. Hermione and Padma benefited from fighting against opponents who were more ferocious, inspiring Neville to climb out of his shell and step up his game.

Everything went well, all in all. If Draco manages to rein in his temper during these sessions, Harry was sure they'd improve well enough to meet Professor Snape's standards, or at least deprive him from excuses to chuck the group out. _'Perhaps...this is what mentor groups are supposed to be all about.'_ Sure, he scoffed at the idea of ever working together with Draco on anything, but now… it didn't seem impossible.

* * *

**End Notes: **This is the last chapter I have in reserve. It will probably take a while for me to get off my lazy butt and write a new chapter.


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